


the way we want it to be

by khrysallis



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 16:51:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3776125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khrysallis/pseuds/khrysallis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(high school!au) when jongin was referred to kyungsoo to solve his ghost problem, he had never thought kyungsoo would give him so much trouble just to convince kyungsoo to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the way we want it to be

**Author's Note:**

> warnings: homophobic elements, bullying, underage sex

The cheers of the crowd were getting louder now as the seconds tick down on the clock, the game almost coming to an end with the scores being at a stalemate for the past forty minutes. It was an important match for both teams, both needing the points to confirm their place in the next round, and they were definitely fighting tooth and nail to come out on top.   
  
If Jongin had been stress-free for the most part of the match, having scored the first goal before their opponents had netted two, only to have the scores levelled by Luhan who tipped another past the goalkeeper shortly after halftime, he was definitely feeling the pressure now. They were so close to getting into the quarter-finals, and their coach definitely wouldn’t be pleased if they fell at the final hurdle, having set a high bar for them this year with the injection of fresh blood into the team. One point and three points made a lot of difference, when they were drawn into such a tough group.  
  
Jongin’s eyes flickered towards the time, gulping when he realised there was only one final minute of added time left. He yelled in triumph when Yixing managed to steal the ball from their opponent, and dashed across the field in the direction of the goalpost, eyes glued on the ball by Yixing’s feet. Yixing deftly passed the ball over to Minseok, who delivered it towards Luhan, and their fate was sealed. Everyone knew that the tag team formed between Luhan and Jongin was virtually unstoppable, which was why every single team that faced them tried to pull the pair apart.   
  
Not today, and certainly not now. They were thirsty for the win, and Jongin gritted his teeth when Luhan passed the ball to him, dribbling past several defenders in the process. With one hook of his foot, Jongin sent the ball airborne for a brief moment, before executing a perfect bicycle kick.  
  
The final whistle went off just as the soccer ball sailed neatly through the air, skimmed past the goalkeeper’s fingers, and fell safely into the goal.  
  
Jongin knelt on the grass for a brief moment, unable to believe that he'd done it, and then he was tackled to the ground by his teammates. The crowd went wild. He did it. They won. They were through to the quarter-finals.   
  
The celebration continued long after the match had ended. Jongin laughed boisterously as he was hoisted up into the air by his teammates and their supporters, giving high fives to many others who came to congratulate him, and the feeling was simply exhilarating.  
  
“That was fucking cool! Way to end the match!” He heard a familiar voice – one belonging to his friend, Taemin – say, and he turned to grin at the boy just as the crowd finally had enough of parading him around.   
  
“You’re forgetting who you’re talking to, Taemin. He's not the star striker of the team for nothing.” Yixing walked up and hooked a sweaty arm around Taemin’s shoulder, and Jongin laughed when Taemin scowled at Yixing and tried to get away from him. As if Taemin wasn’t already sweating buckets himself from the game.   
  
“Still, it’s a good way to leave an impression.” Minseok walked up and joined them along with Luhan, each punching Jongin once on the arm. They were all grinning their faces off, evidently giddy from their win.   
  
“Can you see now–” Luhan gestured dramatically at the bleachers, where people were still catcalling and cheering for Jongin’s team who was slowly making their way across the field, basking in the afterglow of their victory. “–how bright our futures will be if we manage to make it to the finals and win it with a bang?”   
  
“The fame that is waiting for us.” Taemin chimed in, and Jongin could only laugh along, too tired to come up with a verbal response. They didn’t mind his silence after their matches; they were already used to it by now.   
  
The moment Jongin walked into their locker room with his friends, though, he felt a cold shudder run down his spine, as though someone was watching him intently. He spun around, facing the direction where he thought the person was staring at him from, but a frown quickly found its way to his face.   
  
There was no one there.   
  
Jongin frowned deeper, but shrugged it off in the end. He was probably exhausted from the game, and besides, the celebration was more important right now.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
A pair of terrified brown eyes peered over the edge of the comforter and into the darkness of the room, their owner disappearing right under the covers rapidly at the slightest of sounds. Jongin didn’t give a damn even if he were on the edge of ripping holes through his comforter, his knuckles white from the death grip he had upon it. He was too busy praying to all the gods and deities in the world, lips moving rapidly to all the mantras and spells he knew of which were said to be able to ward off evil spirits.  
  
He had heard of the rumours, the ones that claimed his dorm room was haunted – it was apparently home to a student who had hung himself to death from the ceiling fan, unable to withstand the bullying he was going through years ago – ever since he had set foot in SM High and was assigned to this very room. There were also claims that the dormitory block was built on top of what used to be a mass grave during the nation’s war-torn days. After countless failed attempts at changing rooms and the lack of paranormal sightings several months down the line since the school year had begun, Jongin was finally resigned to his fate and was beginning to settle in.  
  
That was, until, his things started flying across the damned room on their own. Jongin tried hard to ignore them, telling himself that it was only a trick of the eye, that he was just so exhausted to the point of hallucinating, and he eventually grew accustomed to that, too.  
  
Jongin had no idea what he had done to incur the wrath of the spirits in this room, but they had decided to take things up a notch by actually disturbing him physically tonight. He could deal with the creepy wailings and tortured moans; he just had to plug his earphones in and turn up the volume of his iPod while still chanting spells to ward these probably bored spirits off. Then they decided to be funny and began pulling off his earphones, too. Jongin thought the occasional feeling of someone watching him was rather similar to the sensation he'd felt after his soccer match three days ago, but he couldn't really be sure.  
  
Jongin’s trembling diminished when the moaning stopped completely, and he thanked the gods above for answering his prayers, thinking he could finally get some much needed sleep. Dawn was fast approaching, and he couldn’t really afford to miss first period again. The moment he lowered his comforter which was smothering his face, though, he found himself face to face with a white-faced, long-haired person.  
  
He let out a strangled whimper when the  _person_  stuck her tongue out to lick at his face. It took Jongin five full seconds to remember he didn’t even have a roommate, let alone such a ghastly-looking one, and another extra second for him to let out an uncharacteristic shriek before he was bolting the hell out of his dorm room, in a speed that could probably put Usain Bolt to shame.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
“ _Jongin_ ,” Jongdae said exasperatedly as he typed away on his phone, sparing only a split second’s glance at the boy who had converted the end of Jongdae’s bed into his own territory. “Could you please get out of my room already?”  
  
“No.” Jongin replied bluntly, absently picking at the loose threads on Jongdae’s blanket. “There is no way in hell I’m going back to that room. Ever.”  
  
Jongdae rolled his eyes at the younger boy, muttering silent curses at Jongin for disturbing his peace. Jongdae was cranky enough as it was, considering how Jongin had practically barged in through his door at three in the fucking morning, rattling off about evil spirits committing a hostile takeover of his dorm room and trying to drag his innocent soul to join them down in the deepest pits of hell. Jongin had refused to leave since then, even keeping Jongdae up all night because Jongin was too afraid to fall asleep.  
  
Jongdae still thought Jongin was being Overly Dramatic.   
  
“Look,” Jongdae snapped impatiently. “Junmyeon is coming over in a short while, and unless you’re into voyeurism, you _need_  to leave.”  
  
“Can I watch you two have sex instead? I promise I won’t make a noise.” Jongin perked up hopefully. To him,  _anything_ was better than having to return to his own room and facing those ghosts and getting himself scared witless all over again. He had a reputation to protect, god damn it. Besides, Jongin had heard of how good Junmyeon was in bed, so perhaps–  
  
“No. Don’t you even  _think_  about it, Kim Jongin.” Jongdae said flatly, giving Jongin the evil eye. Having been friends with Jongin for almost the entire year (through the oddest of circumstances, no less), Jongdae could hazard a guess about what Jongin had in mind. “Of all the other rooms you could go to, why mine? Go bother someone else.”   
  
Jongin put on the best kicked puppy face he could manage and sidled up to Jongdae. Jongdae groaned, because that little bastard  _knew_  he couldn’t say no when Jongin was pouting, and he wondered why he hadn’t taken a photo of Jongin’s expressions as blackmail material yet. Jongdae was sure the rest of the student body would be  _delighted_  to see the real face of the usually cool ace soccer player of their school.  
  
“But you’re the only one I know of that lives in a single room, Jongdae  _hyung_.” Oh no, not the ‘ _hyung_ ’ card. This little shit– “I can’t possibly impose on the others when they’re sharing with someone else, right? Please? Hyung?”   
  
Jongdae slapped a hand against his own face when he felt his heart softening under the intonation Jongin was using with him. “Fine. I’ll help.” He mumbled miserably, adding sharply when he noticed Jongin was having some wrong ideas. “–but you’re still not staying for my tutoring session with Junmyeon hyung!”  
  
Jongin muttered something suspiciously close to  _‘cheapskate’_  and  _‘an orgy would’ve been fun’_ , before Jongdae lost it completely and kicked him out of the room, along with the instructions to find someone who was from Jongin’s year – the (apparently) all-knowing Oh Sehun.   
  
Jongin refrained from commenting about how he had never heard of such a person,  _ever_ , in all the months he’d been in school – the enrollment this year wasn’t even massive to begin with. But Jongdae seemed close to wanting to castrate Jongin if he’d as much as said another word, and Jongin still wanted to keep his family jewels intact,  _thankyouverymuch_.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
When Jongin had first heard about Oh Sehun and the glittery title that came with his name, he’d imagined the boy to be all creepy and pale, hunched over a crystal ball and huddled up in a dark room which was heavily-scented with sandalwood – the way fortune tellers were portrayed in movies.   
  
Standing in front of the boy right now, Jongin found himself pleasantly surprised.   
  
Only the pale part of his imagination rang true; Sehun appeared almost unreal, with smooth, white skin stretching over long limbs and sharp angles, looking nothing like the pre-formed image Jongin had of him. No bandanas, no chandelier earrings, no crystal balls, no creepy greetings. There was only a perpetually bored, disinterested face, and an impatient “Yeah, what do you need? I ain’t got any of those weeds or pills on me right now, if that’s what you’re looking for” which greeted Jongin.   
  
Jongin blinked twice and shook his head to get himself out of his daze, reaching forward just in time to stop the door from getting slammed in his face. “No, wait. I’m not here for drugs.” Jongin said, and though he was itching to know where Sehun managed to get his hands on those illicit substances, he held his tongue. There were more pressing matters at hand – like the ghost problem in his dorm room.  
  
“Then what? Need the number of that hot freshman cheerleader?” Sehun regarded him with the same look of boredom, as though he was used to answering such questions. And then a look of recognition crossed Sehun’s face, though it was gone in a flash, the boredom taking its place once again. “ _Oh_. You’re  _the_  Kim Jongin.”   
  
Jongin smirked. So Sehun did know him after all. “Yeah.”   
  
“What do  _you_  need from me?” Sehun asked, rolling his eyes.   
  
“My friend told me you were the person to see if I wanted to find out about something in school.”   
  
Sehun shifted his weight and leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. “Oh?” The boy said again, his tone finally showing some semblance of emotion rather than his usual flatness, if the past five minutes Jongin had spent talking to him was any indication of it. “I do indeed know a lot of things that go around on campus, like how Kris is still debating with himself whether Luhan’s a girl who’s been wrongly placed in the same dorm room, and how he’s trying so hard to stop himself from jumping on Luhan and fucking him senseless–”   
  
Jongin choked back a laugh, mainly because Luhan was  _definitely_  a guy and Kris was probably still in denial with regards to his sexual orientation. Jongin should know. He had fucked Luhan up against the lockers in the changing room after one of their soccer practices months ago. Best sex so far, admittedly, but Sehun didn’t need to know about that.   
  
At least, Jongin  _hoped_  he didn’t know.  
  
“–and I have pretty much everyone’s numbers, including yours, Kim Jongin.”  
  
Jongin’s eyes widened in surprise at the comment, because he’d never even talked to Sehun before this. “How did you–”   
  
Just then, he was interrupted when his phone rang in his jeans pocket. Jongin fished the device out, and realised that he had received a text message from an unknown number.  
  
 _I have my sources ;)_ , it read, and Jongin looked up to the sight of Sehun smirking at him, phone in hand with an identical text message blazing across the screen.   
  
Jongin was instantly sold.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Contrary to expectations (Jongin vaguely thought he should twist his expectations around, because he had been proved wrong way too many times in the last day alone), Sehun  _actually_  bothered listening to him. He’d invited Jongin into his (very messy) room, and sat there emotionlessly as Jongin recounted his ghoulish experiences to him, only to pull a photo of a wide-eyed senior of theirs out with a flourish at the end of the session.  
  
(Jongin wondered if Sehun had indeed been listening. Sehun’s eyes had been glazed over for as long as Jongin had been talking, only coming back to reality when Jongin had poked him cautiously in the knee.)   
  
It was quite an unflattering photo of a sophomore named Do Kyungsoo, that much Jongin could vouch for. It seemed as though it had been taken years ago, if the yellowing paper was anything to go by, much like something that had been stolen out of Kyungsoo’s private stash of Photos That Should Never See The Light Of Day, showing a pale-looking boy with a haircut which made him look as though he was doing a very bad cosplay of a Star Trek character.   
  
Jongin frowned. What were the chances that this Kyungsoo person would stay relatively unchanged through puberty?   
  
It didn’t take long for him to find out, though, when the school bell rang and the students filed out from the classroom Kyungsoo was supposedly studying in. Jongin recognised Kyungsoo on his first try – puberty had indeed been very kind to his senior. The boy with wide eyes and pale skin walked right past Jongin, sporting a much better haircut than the one he had in the photo, spiked up and held in place by hair products.   
  
Jongin enjoyed the fact that he towered over Kyungsoo, and, if Jongin had to admit, Kyungsoo was  _cute_.   
  
He also had the overwhelming urge to keep Kyungsoo in his pocket, because fuck him, he was rather into guys who were adorable. Kyungsoo practically fit the bill, and now he couldn’t take his eyes off him.  
  
Jongin casually jogged right up to Kyungsoo, the way he would for warm-ups before soccer practice, sending several girls squealing in the process with a wink, before he turned around and began walking backwards in a pretty convincing imitation of Michael Jackson’s moonwalk just so he could talk to Kyungsoo. His senior didn’t seem to have noticed Jongin at first, his gaze fixated on the ground as he ploughed his way through the after-school crowd. Jongin frowned, then waved a hand in front of Kyungsoo to get his attention.  
  
Kyungsoo starts at the gesture and stopped abruptly in his steps, watching wide-eyed as Jongin crashed into a pillar because he was still preoccupied with walking backwards. There were muffled laughter around them, and Jongin’s cheeks turned pink from embarrassment.  _Smooth move._  He cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly patted himself down, pretending nothing had happened just moments ago.  
  
“Are you okay?” A voice interrupted Jongin while he was still brushing the imaginary dust off his uniform, and Jongin glanced up and was met with Kyungsoo’s concerned face.   
  
He immediately straightened himself and laughed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?” Jongin asked, propping himself up against the wall with his elbow. Several cameras went off around them – the other students must be taking photos of him in his usual model-like poses – and he flashed his award-winning grin (in his dreams, anyway) at Kyungsoo.  
  
Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. “You just walked yourself into a pillar.” He deadpanned. “Did you knock yourself stupid or something?”   
  
Jongin stared at him oddly. “No?” He shook his head to gather his thoughts when he suddenly remembered the reason behind his presence at the upperclassmen wing of the building. “I’m Jongin, by the way. Kim Jongin.”   
  
“I know.” Kyungsoo said, appearing slightly affronted. “The whole school knows who you are.”  
  
Jongin was about to say something along the lines of  _oh I thought you were a hermit who didn’t care about school events_ , before he realised that it probably wasn’t the appropriate thing to say when he needed help from Kyungsoo. “Oh.” He said intelligently instead. “I actually need to talk to you about something, Kyungsoo sunbae. I don’t know if you actually know of this person called Sehun, but he was the one who sent me here.”   
  
Kyungsoo blinked in confusion, not quite getting the turn of events. “Why would you need to speak to me? And how did you know my name? I don’t think we’ve met before.”   
  
“Like I said, Sehun sent me. I’m having some problems with...  _spirits_ –” the last word was nothing more than a bare whisper, lest people thought Jongin had some loose screws in his head. “–and he said you could help me with it, that you deal with spirits.”   
  
Thankfully, there was a look of understanding flashing across Kyungsoo’s features. “Oh, that.” He said flatly. “I don’t know who this Sehun person is, but you’ve come to the right person, alright. Why should I help you, though?”   
  
Jongin’s grin stretched across his face. “You get to date this fine specimen, of course!” He declared, then followed it up with a wink. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance, you know. People are dying to even get close to me, and they’d probably kill to be in your place too. What do you say?”   
  
There was a long gap of silence, along with Kyungsoo’s look that screamed  _are you serious_ , but Jongin kept his grin intact, hoping Kyungsoo would actually consider helping him out. He was surprised when Kyungsoo merely rolled his eyes moments later, and walked off without addressing Jongin further.   
  
Jongin could only stare incredulously at Kyungsoo’s retreating back, stunned into silence. Did he just get rejected?  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
If there were two things in this world that Jongin hated the most, it would be getting rejected and giving up. With that, Jongin had developed an incredible sense of persistence – what Jongin wanted, Jongin  _will_  get.   
  
Kyungsoo’s rejection on the day Jongin had met him only served to spur Jongin on further, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to step into his dorm room until the ghost problem had been solved. That, and he thought Kyungsoo was cute, and Jongin was eager to get into his pants, just to see him pliant and needy and filthy under him. After getting to know him better. Sort of. Kyungsoo had featured in one of Jongin’s wet dreams several nights ago, and he couldn’t really get the image of the boy going down on him out of his head. Jongin kind of  _really_  wanted to have a taste for himself how Kyungsoo would react to his touches.   
  
But no matter how much Jongin pestered Kyungsoo, making it a point to wait for Kyungsoo outside his classroom the moment school was dismissed, showering him with gifts and offers to take him out on dates, even attempting to manhandle his petite senior, Kyungsoo wouldn’t even talk to him, ignoring him outright on most days, as though Jongin was invisible. Even if Jongin managed to grab onto him, Kyungsoo always found a way to escape from Jongin, and it made Jongin terribly frustrated.   
  
Which was why Jongin found himself splayed out on the floor of Sehun’s room in defeat, some three weeks after he’d first went in search of Sehun. He was hoping Sehun could help him out somewhat, but Jongin was beginning to see that it was a waste of time.   
  
Sehun couldn’t even be bothered to spare Jongin a glance after letting him into his room, as though he was used to accommodating people who needed floor space to mope. “For someone who’s supposedly cool, you’re actually pretty pathetic,” Sehun said with contempt some minutes later, eyes still glued on the comic in his hands.   
  
“Go on, mock me all you want. It’s not as though I have any pride left in me.” Jongin said lifelessly, his gaze fixated on the ceiling as he wallowed in self-pity.   
  
Sehun rolled his eyes. “Where’s the fun in that when you’re not even putting up a fight? So, what do you want this time?”   
  
Jongin steadfastly ignored the way Sehun was now poking at his side with his toe, as if trying to determine whether Jongin was dead. “I don’t understand why Kyungsoo would reject my request.” He mumbled to himself. “I did offer him a chance to date me in return–”   
  
“You, Kim Jongin, are  _unbelievable_. If you’re flirting with him, it’ll get you nowhere.” Sehun scoffed, flopping down on his stomach to send Jongin the most judging stare he could muster. “It’s no wonder you were rejected.”  
  
Jongin raised his head from the floor to look at Sehun. “It’s not?”   
  
Again, Sehun rolled his eyes at Jongin, but he finally sat up on his bed, comic forgotten, looking every bit as though he meant business. Maybe Jongin’s trip to Sehun’s room wasn’t going to be a waste of time after all.   
  
“What you need is a lesson in the art of persuasion.”   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin couldn't, for the life of him, figure out the correlation between learning how to persuade someone into doing things for him, and his meeting with another sophomore called Byun Baekhyun. For one, Baekhyun was a master in makeup-related matters (Jongin felt it rude to enquire about Baekhyun's abnormal interest in something that was decidedly very female, so he didn't), that much Jongin could give him credit for. He was also a much better listener than Sehun would ever be, if the enthusiastic nodding of his head while Jongin recounted his experiences with Kyungsoo to him was anything to go by.   
  
Jongin frowned at his reflection in the mirror, fingers ghosting over the very realistic dark circles Baekhyun had painted on for him. He looked like someone who hadn’t slept in  _weeks_ , the darkness of his lower lids making his face look hollow, his eyes bloodshot from peeling onions (Baekhyun had insisted on it so that he could complete the look). Jongin had protested against it at first, when Baekhyun had started dabbing black eyeshadow beneath his eyes, but Baekhyun had shut him up with one fierce look, his dainty, perfectly manicured hands on his hips as he said, “Look, do you want to convince Kyungsoo to help you out with your ghost problem or not?”   
  
Jongin had nodded very meekly, and Baekhyun immediately went back to business without another word said.   
  
His eyes were itching so badly, and Jongin reached up and was about to rub at them, before freezing mid-action, remembering the very stern warning Baekhyun had thrown at him before he'd sent Jongin on his way.   
  
 _If you smudge it before meeting Kyungsoo, I_  will  _personally rip your balls off and give you a new hole_.  
  
Bored, Jongin blew his fringe out of his face and leaned against the window with his arms crossed in front of his chest, putting all his weight on one foot. Wednesdays were the days when Kyungsoo had extra classes ( _no_ , Jongin hadn’t been creeping on his timetable), so he had ample time to wait for the older boy. His fingers reached up in a nervous gesture to tug at his necktie, suddenly feeling that everything was a tad too warm. It sucked even more that he was wearing a thicker blazer in anticipation for the change from autumn to winter, which obviously hadn’t come, and he irately shrugged off the clothing article, folding it over his arm instead.   
  
“You know,” somebody spoke up right next to Jongin all of a sudden, making the boy gasp and jump in surprise, his heart practically in his throat. He hadn’t heard anyone approaching him at all. “You should really stop stripping to impress people. Are you allergic to clothes or something?”   
  
Jongin glanced back at the student who had sneaked up at him, a string of curses readied at the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them up when he was greeted by the sight of Kyungsoo’s decidedly unimpressed face.   
  
“Kyungsoo sunbae!” Jongin greeted in a pitch too high, backing up against the windows again from surprise. “I thought you were–” His eyes flicked confusedly at Kyungsoo’s classroom before falling upon Kyungsoo again. “–aren’t you supposed to be in class still?”   
  
Kyungsoo’s frown grew deeper, and Jongin had to stop himself from physically reaching out to the shorter boy and smoothing those lines on his forehead out for him. It was not part of the Standard Protocol of human interactions, no matter that Jongin though frowning did not suit Kyungsoo’s face at all.  
  
“A guy could use a toilet break, can't he?” Kyungsoo deadpanned.  
  
Jongin suddenly felt incredibly stupid. “Uh, yeah. Sorry.” He grinned sheepishly, scratching the side of his face in embarrassment.   
  
He felt himself holding his breath for the umpteenth time that afternoon when Kyungsoo suddenly leaned in, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinised something on Jongin’s face. Jongin’s eyes darted everywhere else, trying hard not to stare at Kyungsoo’s face, or his thick eyebrows, or the perfect slope of his nose, or his plump, inviting heart-shaped lips. He could even count his pores from the lack of distance–  
  
“You look like shit.”   
  
The brutally honest statement had Jongin choking on air as Kyungsoo pulled back, the lines of his face a little less uptight now. “What?” Jongin blurted, still coughing away. His hand shot up in reassurance when another student walked past and shot him an odd look, which sent Kyungsoo spinning around questioningly.  
  
“I’m serious. You look horrid.” Kyungsoo said as-a-matter-of-factly when the student went on her way, but not after she'd blew a kiss at Jongin who grinned dumbly back. He didn't seem impressed. Jongin quickly tucked his arm back in his side. “Your eyebags can probably give Zitao a run for his money. Haven’t you been sleeping?”   
  
 _Who’s Zitao?_  Jongin had wanted to ask, but there was something different about Kyungsoo’s voice that made him do a double take. Was that… concern?  
  
“Uh.” Jongin blurted intelligently, before finally remembering what the plan was. He shuddered a little when Baekhyun’s threat echoed in his ears again. “No.” He lied, feeling himself flinch inwardly. He had indeed been sleeping, in Jongdae’s room, and had absolutely no idea if the spirits were still hanging around in his own dorm room.   
  
Jongin definitely wasn’t kidding when he’d told Jongdae he wasn’t going to return to his room until the ghost problem had been solved. But Kyungsoo didn’t have to know that. Not really.   
  
“The spirits in your room are  _that_  bad, huh.” Kyungsoo said after a pregnant pause, chewing on his lower lip as he mulled over something. Jongin decided that he liked how red Kyungsoo’s bottom lip was when he finally released it to speak.   
  
“Look, you wanted my help, right? Fine, I’ll help you. Just this once.”   
  
Jongin, who’d been a little preoccupied with staring at Kyungsoo’s lips, jolted back to reality at the sound of Kyungsoo’s voice. “What?” He blinked.   
  
“I said I’ll help you chase away the spirits in your room.” Kyungsoo repeated, the corner of his mouth twitching a little, showing the smallest semblance of a smile when Jongin’s face brightened up.   
  
“Really?” Jongin wondered in amazement, not having expected that Kyungsoo would finally agree with his request. “When will you be able to do it? I mean– I don’t want to sound pushy, but–”   
  
“Today.” Kyungsoo cut off his rambling as he turned around and headed down the hallway, presumably to answer nature’s call which he had intended to do before he had been sidetracked by Jongin and his apparently horrid eyebags. “Meet me at the main entrance of the school in half an hour. I have something I need to get before I pay these spirits a visit.” He called out, waving over his shoulder without waiting for an answer.   
  
Jongin could only grin widely at the thought that he was going to wrest his room back, and things were made even better when he realised that this was the longest conversation he’d ever sustained with Kyungsoo.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
When Kyungsoo had asked Jongin to meet him at the main gates after classes were dismissed, Jongin had thought Kyungsoo wanted to make a quick trip to the grocery stores across the street for… well,  _stuff_  before adjourning to Jongin’s dorm room.  
  
What he hadn’t expected was for Kyungsoo to drag him several blocks away from school, to an incense shop at the outskirts of town. It certainly did not help that Kyungsoo remained silent for the most part of their walk, only giving brief answers to Jongin’s attempts at striking up a proper conversation, or that the boy had actually stopped to talk to people Jongin  _couldn’t see_. They’d attracted enough attention to themselves on the streets; Jongin could only smile sheepishly at the curious onlookers whenever Kyungsoo spoke to these ghosts, though the boy himself didn’t think it was weird. Jongin wondered if he was able to see all spirits roaming around them, and a cold chill ran down his spine.  
  
Jongin thought he could finally relax when the incense shop finally came into view. It was tucked in a secluded corner off the main street, with numerous paper offerings shaped in various objects – houses, cars, maids, even flat screen TVs – hung up at the store’s front. The shop itself smelled heavily of sandalwood, courtesy of the incense burning on the altar, though when Jongin had sneezed for the tenth time in the span of 30 seconds, his nose thoroughly irritated by the scent, Kyungsoo heaved a sigh and asked Jongin to wait for him at the bus stand opposite the shop while he made some purchases.   
  
But right now, Jongin would rather have his nose irritated through and through in the shop than to stand in the presence of fresh air. He had his eyes narrowed at the sight in front of him, of Kyungsoo laughing and smiling at something the tall boy who was manning the shop was saying. Jongin had seen the boy around in school. He was a sophomore just like Kyungsoo, and frequented their soccer practices and matches. Jongin narrowed his eyes further; didn't the boy always cheer for Minseok, their team's co-captain? What was he doing  _flirting_  with Kyungsoo right now? That creep–  
  
Jongin huffed and spun around in his position, running a hand through his hair in an effort to dispel his irritation. It worked, if only for a brief moment, and when he saw Kyungsoo laugh at something the boy said again – he was jealous, yes, because Kyungsoo would never respond to him in the same way, and Jongin kind of  _wanted_  Kyungsoo to smile at him like that – Jongin pulled his phone out and fired off a quick text.  
  
 _Do you know of any sophomore who works at an incense shop?_  
  
The reply was immediate.  _Park Chanyeol. Class 2-B. Why?_    
  
 _Tell me all you know about him._  Jongin typed, then added another sentence after a moment's hesitation.  _And his relationship with Kyungsoo._  
  
"Hey, sorry that took so long." Kyungsoo's voice joined him just as Jongin hit the send button, and Jongin quickly slid his phone back into the pocket of his slacks.  
  
"It's okay! I have all the patience in the world!" He chirped. Jongin must be grinning a little too widely, bordering on being creepy, even, because Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow at him, probably wondering what was up with Jongin.   
  
"Let's... go, then." Kyungsoo said, eyeing Jongin suspiciously for another moment longer before turning on his heels and walking back in the direction they had come from earlier.   
  
Jongin followed after him, but not after reading the last message from Sehun.  
  
 _He’s Kyungsoo’s only friend in school, as far as I know. I’ll tell you the rest of the details when you come see me._  
  
Somehow, that piece of information didn’t quite sit well with Jongin.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
"This is it." Jongin gestured at the door to his dorm room as he shifted his weight onto his right leg, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. Kyungsoo was looking around the hallways with too-wide eyes, as though it was his first time being in the school dormitories, but of course Jongin knew that wasn't true. They were in a boarding school, after all.  
  
"Well." Kyungsoo said, and Jongin wondered if the petite sophomore was cold; he was rubbing his arms in an apparent effort to generate more heat, though if Jongin had to be honest, the air in the hallway they were in was stifling. He fought the urge to tug at his collar and to remove his necktie, because he knew Kyungsoo wouldn't like that. "You definitely weren't lying when you said there were a couple of spirits bothering you. They're quite the vindictive ones."  
  
"You can feel their presence through the door?" Jongin asked, careful to keep the joy out of his tone; at least the ghosts were still hanging around, or he might've gotten in trouble. And then Jongin made a double take at something else Kyungsoo had said. "Wait, you thought I was  _lying_? Why?" He cried out indignantly.  
  
Thankfully, Kyungsoo had the decency to look sheepish about it. "Sorry. You  _were_  flirting a whole lot when you first came to see me – all those gifts, the dating offers. I mean, seriously, who on earth asks for help like that? I thought you were one of those jocks who thinks that everyone would be willing to drop their pants and let you fuck their brains out without putting up any resistance, but since I  _did_  reject you multiple times, I thought this was one of your nefarious plans on getting me into bed."  
  
Jongin positively choked on air at his words, because that  _had_  been his initial motive, apart from getting Kyungsoo to help him with his ghost problem, of course, though now he didn't quite feel strongly about that. Kyungsoo would probably hate his guts if he knew. Jongin could feel his cheeks warming up, and he quickly ducked his head and hid his face from sight before Kyungsoo got suspicious.  
  
"Well," he cleared his throat as he dug out his keys from his pocket and stuck it into the keyhole. "I guess you'd like to get started soon?"  
  
Jongin stepped aside and allowed Kyungsoo to walk into his room ahead of him. The shorter boy peered into the room with wide eyes, taking in the surroundings carefully, and Jongin poked his head in next to Kyungsoo's to take a look for himself what sort of catastrophe had befallen his dorm. He felt thankful that Kyungsoo didn't end up elbowing him in the stomach, merely tensing up next to Jongin from the lack of distance for a brief moment before inching away from him.  
  
Jongin had never realised that he could actually see ghosts in broad daylight when a ghastly-looking thing rushed up to them the moment Kyungsoo pushed the door wide open. Jongin actually jumped away from the entrance to his room and plastered himself against the wall of the corridor, getting as far away from the ghost as he could, but he watched in awe as Kyungsoo shook his head and placed his hands on his hips in a reprimanding manner, not the least bit frightened by the sight in front of him. Jongin could still feel the chill right down to his bones.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, going around scaring people like that?" Kyungsoo said at the long-haired ghost, whom cocked her – his? – head to the side questioningly. Jongin could hear the frown in his voice, and he saw how Kyungsoo's stance relaxed even though the other thing remained silent. Kyungsoo was nodding from time to time, as if he was engaging in a wordless conversation with the ghost.  
  
"It's not nice to disturb people even if you're hungry, you know." Kyungsoo finally said with a sigh, shoulders sagging defeatedly. "Didn't your other friends let you know that you could always come to me to get fed?"  
  
Jongin raised an eyebrow when the ghost responded with a semblance of a shake of its head.  
  
Kyungsoo sighed again. "Well now you know." He said simply, stomping into the room past the ghost with the bag of incense in hand before pulling everything out of it. The words which left his lips next were gentle, and Jongin found himself taking a hesitant step closer to his room just to get a glimpse of Kyungsoo's expressions.  
  
"I live in the next building," Kyungsoo patiently told the ghost, who had cocked its head to the side to listen to Kyungsoo. "You should be able to find me from my scent, can't you?" With this, he turned and cast an expectant look at Jongin. "Aren't you going to help me set up this stuff?"  
  
It was all that was needed to send Jongin scampering to Kyungsoo's side. He helpfully placed the fruits Kyungsoo had bought on their way back on several paper plates, and fetched a container in which Kyungsoo poured some ash into it to hold the incense upright. When that was done, Kyungsoo said a little prayer for the spirit, while Jongin quickly vacated his place to allow the spirit to inhale the smoke rising from the incense, which Jongin assumed was its source of food. Several more spirits appeared out of nowhere and crowded around the joss stick, and Jongin backed away even more.  
  
The entire ritual took no more than ten minutes, and Jongin felt mildly disappointed at how uneventful it was when the spirits merely dissipated into thin air, almost as though they were never there to begin with. Considering how vicious one of the spirits had been when it had first appeared before Jongin a couple of weeks ago, it sure was easily appeased.  
  
"Most spirits aren't vicious by nature," Kyungsoo said in lieu with Jongin's train of thoughts, as if he could read Jongin's mind. "They just need something to sustain their survival as they find out what's shackling them down to the human world, otherwise they'd turn into hungry ghosts."  
  
"You... seem to understand them a lot." Jongin pointed out thoughtfully.  
  
There was a newfound sense of respect in Jongin for Kyungsoo, not only because he'd helped Jongin with his dorm room's ghost problem, but also how he seemed to be unaffected by the way the others talked about him whenever he'd converse with the spirits in broad daylight. Somehow, Jongin wished he could be the same, to be himself without being afraid of how the other students would see him or how the gossips would crop up with the slightest embarrassment he made of himself. Ever since middle school, Jongin had been thrust into the limelight with his soccer skills, earning hearts and praises and admiration, but no matter where he went, Jongin could feel everyone's expectant gazes on him, burning into him and waiting for him to make even the slightest mistake.  
  
Jongin had to be perfect, and accepted nothing less of himself.  
  
Kyungsoo chuckled. "I have to understand them, because they're the only friends I have." He said, and though his tone was cheerful, Jongin froze a little at the hint of sadness layered beneath it, but before he could delve deeper into it, Kyungsoo had already packed up in lightning speed and left his room without another word said.  
  
Jongin sat on the floor and leaned against his bed frame that evening, suddenly feeling that his room was a little too quiet for his liking, even though a part of him knew that he should be celebrating the fact that his room was now ghost-free.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
An insufferable sigh greeted Jongin the moment the door was thrown open instead of the conventional 'hello', but Jongin couldn't find it in himself to reprimand the person who had answered the door. Instead, Jongin trudged lifelessly into the room against the protests of its owner, and dropped himself onto the carpeted section of the room, laying spread-eagle on the floor. Another string of muffled curses followed, before Sehun slammed the door shut and threw himself onto his bed, glancing expectantly at Jongin.  
  
"So? What's up with the great Kim Jongin today?" Sehun asked mockingly. "Don't tell me you got your panties in a bunch, because I sure as hell won't help you solve that problem."  
  
"Stuff it." Jongin said, without heat. "I know you're the go-to person in school, but haven't you ever invited someone else into your room as a friend?"  
  
Sehun appeared genuinely surprised by Jongin's statement this time; it shows in the way his eyebrows shoot up, shattering his usual mask of indifference. "Friends? You and me?"  
  
Jongin craned his neck and looked at Sehun. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"  
  
"Wow." Sehun sounded impressed and a little dumbfounded at the same time, as though he couldn't wrap his mind around what Jongin had said. "I didn't think  _you_ , of all people, would want to be friends with someone else."  
  
Jongin scowled at Sehun this time, actually feeling offended by his words. "What do you mean by that? I'm a normal person too, of course I'd want friends."  
  
Sehun raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Really. Name a few." He said, then quickly added, when Jongin smirked. "Not, someone from the soccer team."  
  
Now Jongin was a little troubled by the condition set by Sehun. "I have Jongdae, and–" he paused, trying to think of another person whom he could call a friend outside the soccer team. In the end, after wracking through his mind, Jongin threw his hand up in defeat because no, there wasn't anyone else. It was the team, and then everyone else in Jongin’s world. Now he was even more desperate to change that fact.   
  
Sehun grinned triumphantly. "See. With your level of fame in school, can you really see yourself opening up to other people without feeling even the least bit guarded?"  
  
"Am I really that unapproachable?"  
  
"Not so much of being unapproachable. You wouldn't have a hoard of crazed admirers if you were." Sehun rolled his eyes, as though it was the most obvious fact in the world. Perhaps it was. "You have your head in the air most of the time. Too much praise can fuck with your brain."  
  
"But I  _want_  to be friends. With Kyungsoo." Jongin said, almost petulantly. It wasn't a lie, though. This was probably the first time Jongin was genuinely interested in getting to know someone else from school. He might come across as someone who didn't really know what was going on around him half the time unless it was related to soccer, but Jongin could see the superficiality of the smiles surrounding him. Everyone wanted to be a part of Jongin's clique, but Jongin was sure that when he was in deep shit, they'd be the first ones to shun him. It was just how things were in school.  
  
The fall from the top to the very bottom of the food chain wasn't at all that far.  
  
Jongin shuddered at the thought just as Sehun sighed sympathetically. "Look, I may know a lot of things going around in school, but I can't exactly teach you how to make friends." He frowned a little.  
  
"It's okay," Jongin said. "You just have to tell me about my undesirable qualities and I'll... probably learn how to fix them from there, I guess."  
  
Sehun's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Are you sure about that?"  
  
Jongin failed to notice the scheming smirk pulling at the corner of Sehun's mouth, and said, "Yeah, it can't be all that bad, can it?"  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Yes, it could indeed be  _that_  bad. Jongin walked out of his little hangout session with Sehun feeling as though he'd been dumped right under a moving bus, multiple times, until he became one with the road. It was baffling, Jongin thought, how someone who didn't know him too well could dish out such a massive amount of negative comments on his character and how he acted in school – comments which Jongin  _actually_  agreed upon for the most part.   
  
At least Jongin now knew what he should be fixing, and at least he came out of the meeting with a little more knowledge on Chanyeol's relationship with Kyungsoo. Chanyeol was the only permanent fixture in Kyungsoo's life, apparently. They had known each other since their middle school days, where Sehun had coincidentally attended with them and had seen them around before. Sehun told Jongin how Kyungsoo would gradually push everyone away from him, leaving only Chanyeol by his side. Sehun had no idea what had happened between Kyungsoo and another guy he had been very,  _very_ close to, but one thing was for sure: Kyungsoo was a loner, and it was probably going to be a gargantuan task for Jongin to even get into Kyungsoo’s very narrow social circle.   
  
Then again, Jongin wasn't famed for his iron determination for nothing. If there was one thing he intended to do now, it was to be Kyungsoo's friend.   
  
Puffing up his chest, he grinned to himself at his own prospects, ignoring the judging glances everyone else was throwing at him.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Kyungsoo was seated alone in the cafeteria during recess when Jongin walked in. Despite the crowd, Jongin found it fairly easy for him to spot Kyungsoo. He wondered why; Kyungsoo wasn't exactly seated in the most open spot in the cafeteria, opting to hide in the corner instead, staying out of everyone else's way.  
  
Kyungsoo glanced up from the half-eaten sandwich in his hands and shot an unamused look at Jongin when the latter placed his tray on the table and slipped into the chair right across Kyungsoo without even asking. Jongin grinned at Kyungsoo unabashedly.  
  
"Is there something you need from me?" Kyungsoo asked, dabbing lightly at the corner of his mouth after he'd put down his meal. Huh, impeccable table manners.   
  
Jongin blinked at him. “Must I have a reason to sit here? I just wanted to join you for lunch.”  
  
Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at him, and Jongin could see the faint surprise underlying that action if he tried. “Join me? Why would you?”   
  
“For helping me out, of course!” Jongin said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’d feel bad if I didn’t do something to repay you.”   
  
Kyungsoo still had an air of bafflement about him, but he did relax a little and lean forward with a straight face. “I don’t mean to spring this on you right now, but–” he staged a whisper, voice dropping to a low hush but still audible over the din of the cafeteria. “–you’re kinda sitting on someone.”   
  
Under normal circumstances, Jongin would’ve laughed at Kyungsoo and called him ridiculous, but now that he knew what Kyungsoo was capable of, he practically paled. The muscles in his body tensed up, poised to hop out of his seat at any given moment, but he  _had_  to ask. “Are you… for real?”   
  
At that, Kyungsoo sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, and Jongin could see his small frame trembling a little. That was when he realised Kyungsoo was pulling a prank on him, and Kyungsoo was now struggling not to laugh out loud. Several moments passed, but the laughter did not come. Kyungsoo did, however, suck in a deep breath, and smiled serenely at Jongin. “Not bad, for someone who’d been so desperate to get those spirits out of his room.” Kyungsoo commented. He then jutted his chin in the general direction behind Jongin. “I’m serious, though. Your friends seem very eager to have you join them.”   
  
Jongin turned around and followed Kyungsoo’s line of sight, only to find Luhan and the rest of the soccer team looking at him expectantly. He also noted, with slight delight, how Kris and the rest of the basketball team had converged at his usual table; Kris was one step closer to admitting his sexual orientation, then. When Luhan caught his eyes, he gave a slight wave and mouthed  _‘what are you doing there?’_  at Jongin. Jongin merely waved back, and turned away from his usual crowd without offering them an explanation.   
  
“They can live without me for a day.” He shrugged when he met Kyungsoo’s questioning gaze and dug into his carbonara, but not after catching the amused smile on Kyungsoo’s face. They finished the rest of their lunch in a comfortable silence.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Contrary to expectations, though, that stunt Jongin had pulled on Kyungsoo at the cafeteria didn’t exactly earn him a place in Kyungsoo’s good books. Whenever possible, Kyungsoo still managed to extract himself out of Jongin’s immediate vicinity, or ignored Jongin's presence in general. There were times when Jongin thought he was  _finally_  close enough to Kyungsoo to qualify as his friend, but then the other students would begin crowding Jongin and lavishing him with praises and admiration in the hallway, and when Jongin blinked again, Kyungsoo would be gone from his side, already walking halfway down the corridor.  
  
“You’re still not doing things correctly,” Sehun commented one day, and Jongin tried not to roll his eyes at the way Sehun was petting his boyfriend – which answered his previous question of  _who’s Zitao_ ; partially, at least – on the head. He wasn't opposed to their relationship, but he thought Sehun should exercise some control on the level of PDA he was displaying. Then again, Jongin had the nagging suspicion that Sehun was doing this on purpose, just to get Jongin out of his room as quickly as possible. He wasn't oblivious to the raging boner Zitao was having, but too bad. They're going to have to hold their hormones back until the conversation was done,  _or_  get it on right in front of Jongin.   
  
"If you're so knowledgeable about this, why don't  _you_  come up with a suggestion, genius?" Jongin said sarcastically. At this point, Jongin was already comfortable enough with Sehun that they could exchange sarcastic banter without getting offended.   
  
Sehun let out an insufferable sigh and straightened himself on the bed, earning a disappointed whine from Zitao when he untangled his fingers from his hair. Jongin shrank back from the murderous glare Zitao flashed at him from ruining his moment with Sehun, and Sehun looked pleased at Jongin's reaction.  
  
"Why don't you go on exorcism rituals with him? That would earn you enough opportunities to talk to him," Sehun suggested.  
  
"But I thought he didn't do many exorcism rituals?" Jongin frowned. "I mean, wouldn't the other students talk about it if he did?" Jongin wasn't oblivious to the vicious gossip surrounding Kyungsoo, saying that he was creepy and weird. If any of his admirers commented about that in his face, Jongin would snarl at them and jump in Kyungsoo's defense. It had cost him quite a few  _friends_ , but Jongin didn’t really care. Perhaps they weren’t meant to stay as his friends, after all.   
  
Sehun shrugged. “He’s a smart one. He’d casually tell the students he’s helped to not say a thing about it, or he’ll unleash the spirits back in their rooms.”   
  
Jongin thought back on the incident at the cafeteria, and nodded solemnly in agreement. He had had a first-hand experience at how convincing Kyungsoo could get when it came to spirit-talk. Before he could say anything about it, though, Sehun was already dragging him up from the floor, shoving him in the direction of the door. “Hey–”  
  
“I gave you a suggestion, like you asked,” Sehun snapped impatiently. “Now get out unless you want your ass kicked by Zitao. You’re interrupting our alone time.”   
  
“Fuck you.” Jongin said with passion, sending a dirty glare at Sehun who plainly ignored it. “You still owe me scoop on Chanyeol!”   
  
Sehun waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll let you know when I do actually get something on him.” He threw the door open and shoved Jongin out. “If you’ll excuse me.”   
  
Jongin could only stare with his jaw unhinged when Sehun unceremoniously slammed the door in his face.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
“You  _what_?”   
  
Jongin practically winced at the volume Kyungsoo had employed, and he glanced around sheepishly to find the rest of the student body staring curiously at them. With one stern look, though, Jongin sent them glancing away, much to his satisfaction. Sometimes being the popular kid had its merits.   
  
“I want to join you on your exorcism rituals.” Jongin reiterated, turning back to regard Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s usually pale face was flushed, although Jongin wasn’t sure if it was due to the embarrassment from the earlier attention or if he was flustered by Jongin’s request. Kyungsoo had proved to be one difficult book to read, but Jongin was determined to understand him, to understand the reason why Kyungsoo always held everyone at an arm’s length away. “I mean, it’s the only way I can get over my fear of spirits, isn’t it?”   
  
Jongin could speak of the matter a little louder now, instead of saying it in a hushed tone. He figured it didn’t matter if he could see ghosts, or had encountered one before, now that he knew many others in the school faced the same problem. And frankly, he no longer cared if people thought he had some loose screws. It was just how Jongin was; people could sod off if they couldn’t accept that part of him.   
  
“You can’t be serious.” Kyungsoo deadpanned at him, his frown deepening when Jongin cocked his head to the side. “Have you forgotten all about your popularity in school?"  
  
Jongin paled at that; he  _had_  forgotten about it,  _oops_. “Well, no, but–”   
  
“There you have it. No.” Kyungsoo interrupted firmly. “There is absolutely no way I’m going to bring you along on these _rituals_ , as you put it. They’re not joyrides that you can take on a selfish whim.”   
  
Jongin immediately ran after Kyungsoo when the boy began pushing through the crowd and headed down the hallway, probably eager to get himself away from Jongin. They were simply attracting too much attention; Jongin was the star striker of the soccer team, while Kyungsoo was practically a nobody by choice, and they made an odd pair. This had happened way too many times, and Jongin was already used to it. “But it’s not a selfish whim!” Jongin protested, but winced inwardly. Okay, so maybe he was being driven by personal gains, but Jongin really did want to get over his fear of ghosts.   
  
" _People are going to gossip._ " Kyungsoo turned on him and hissed through clenched teeth. Unlike other times, Jongin could actually sense Kyungsoo’s uneasiness in his words. “I really don’t need that right now, not when your little admirers are already beginning to invade my private life.”   
  
“What?” Jongin blurted, genuinely surprised. He hadn’t heard of that. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”   
  
Kyungsoo frowned. “What if I did? What could you have done?”   
  
“I–”   
  
“Forget it, okay?” Kyungsoo raised a hand and stopped Jongin from saying whatever he had wanted to say. “I’m not going to let you come along. Just… go find someone else to help you with that problem.”  
  
And there was Kyungsoo, pushing Jongin away again, just when Jongin thought they were getting closer. He could taste the bitter taste of frustration on his tongue when Kyungsoo walked away without saying another word, but this wasn't the end of Jongin's conquest in becoming Kyungsoo's friend.  
  
He narrowed his eyes, and fired off a quick text to Sehun.  _I need Kyungsoo's number_.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
_let me come with u. promise i’m not going to stay in ur way. pls?  
  
if any1 says anything abt us i’ll kick their asses. i rly rly promise.  
  
just once?  
  
c’mon, don’t be so cruel kyungsoo hyung :(  
  
hyung?  
  
r u rly going to ignore all my msgs  
  
can’t u scare the other kids off by threatening to unleash evil spirits into their room if they talk abt me being there? i can act as one too if u’d like  
  
[Fine, you’re so annoying. Meet me at the school gates after classes tomorrow.]_  
  
Jongin grinned when a text message finally came in. Score.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin was bouncing on the balls of his feet to stave off the mid-autumn chill when Kyungsoo finally appeared after his classes, his usually pale cheeks a rosy shade of red from the cold. It was cute, how Kyungsoo was burrowing the rest of his face into his scarf, and Jongin's heart did a weird flip at the sight. He immediately put a stop to that and the thoughts that follow, reminding himself that he wasn't going on a date with Kyungsoo.   
  
"How did you get my number?" Kyungsoo sniped at him the moment he got close enough. "I don't remember giving it to you."   
  
"I have my sources." Jongin told him sombrely as they started on their walk towards Chanyeol’s shop, no doubt. "I'm afraid I would have to kill you off if I told you."   
  
The first crack of a smile on Kyungsoo's face, even if it did look mildly forced. Jongin pumped his fist mentally. It was progress. "Stop pulling lines from movies," Kyungsoo shoved lightly at him, but seemed to have caught himself moments after and blushed hard. He had probably forgotten that he was supposed to keep a distance for a moment, but Jongin somehow wished Kyungsoo could show his true self a little more. Then again, Jongin wasn't one to talk.   
  
"Seriously though," Jongin quickly said, attempting to change the topic before the atmosphere between them turned awkward again. "Why did you suddenly agree to take me along with you, hyung?"  
  
Kyungsoo stuffed his hands into his pockets to shield them from the cold, and looked at the skies thoughtfully. The sound of their footsteps was still audible over the noise from the streets. "If I hadn't, you would've continued to pester me anyway, wouldn't you?" He glanced meaningfully at Jongin, and it was the younger boy's turn to blush. The corner of Kyungsoo's mouth twitched a little, and for a moment, Jongin thought he was going to laugh at Jongin, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. When Jongin blinked next, Kyungsoo was already back to his usual expression of being uncomfortable around Jongin. Ugh.   
  
"I might, I might not." Jongin shrugged, feigning nonchalance, but it only served to make Kyungsoo roll his eyes at him.  
  
“One of these days I might really ignore the potential wrath from your admirers and actually sock you in the face.” Kyungsoo said with such seriousness, Jongin cowered away from him a little. When it came to Kyungsoo, Jongin never knew when he was just joking, and when he was being serious.   
  
Kyungsoo seemed to have noticed his tenseness, and laughed. “I was just kidding, Jongin.”   
  
Only then did Jongin relax. “You got me there.” He commented, and Kyungsoo shrugged. They fell into a comfortable silence, punctuated only by the occasional car driving past them, now that they’ve arrived at a residential area.  
  
Surprisingly, though, Kyungsoo was the first to break the silence. “By the way, I used to think that you’re this cool, fearless soccer kid. Whatever happened to that?”   
  
Jongin cast a sideward glance at Kyungsoo. “I  _am_  a cool soccer kid,” he quipped cheerfully, then fell silent immediately after. “In everyone else’s eyes, at least. It’s a little suffocating when everyone expects so much of you, and you can’t even make a single mistake.”   
  
With that, he could feel Kyungsoo’s curious gaze on him, as though trying to deduce which side of Jongin was real – the confident, cocky Jongin who owned the soccer pitch, or the shy, quiet Jongin who was currently walking with him. “Hmm,” he hummed thoughtfully, but Jongin didn’t get to hear the rest of his thoughts when they arrived at the paper offerings shop.   
  
Again, Jongin was made to wait for Kyungsoo at the bus stop across the street when his allergic rhinitis struck. He sat there in silence as he watched Kyungsoo exchange a cheerful banter with Chanyeol, the broad grin on his face transforming his features, making Kyungsoo look that much more attractive. Jongin could only smile wryly to himself at the sight, suddenly feeling a little hopeless at getting Kyungsoo to laugh like that – with him, instead of at him. Their twenty-minute walk from school proved that much, that Kyungsoo was always going to stay reserved around Jongin, and Jongin would probably never find out the reasons behind it. Jongin had opened up a little in hopes that Kyungsoo would do the same, telling Kyungsoo about his insecurities and his desires, but perhaps he was being wishful.   
  
Jongin sighed and leaned against the schedule board, eyes still pinned on the pair in the shop. Kyungsoo was laughing again at something Chanyeol had said, before they both turned to look at Jongin for a brief moment and exchanged a quiet conversation. Then Kyungsoo was pulling out his wallet to pay for the goods, and bounding towards Jongin.   
  
Jongin forced a smile. “All done?”   
  
“Yeah, let’s go.” Kyungsoo nodded, and not for the first time, Jongin wondered how it would feel to wrap an arm around Kyungsoo’s narrow shoulders. He quickly shook off those thoughts, and trailed after Kyungsoo, lapsing into a rare silence on his part.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
“Move it move it move it! Move your lazy ass already Kim Jongin!” Jongin winced when their coach shouted at him from the bleachers, forcing him to jog even harder around the field. They were only two days away from their semi-final match against Seoul High School, and their coach had been making them do extra practice sessions for the past week. Jongin was already on the brink of exhaustion, what with the lack of sleep and the protracted hours he and the rest of the team had had to clock in, and this jog wasn’t making things any easier for him.  
  
 _You were late for practice, and you will be punished as such_ , his coach had told him when Jongin had finally bundled onto the pitch, already sweating buckets from running across the school grounds from the dorm room where Kyungsoo had needed to perform another exorcism that afternoon. Jongin had conveniently forgotten all about his soccer practice, having been preoccupied with watching Kyungsoo perform a full ritual.   
  
Jongin shot a wistful glance at the rest of his teammates who were currently involved in a match on the field, with one of the reserves taking Jongin’s place on the team while Jongin served out his punishment. They were completely focused on the match, playing as though they were in a real competition, with Luhan at the helm of the team in their home jerseys and Minseok, the team in their away jerseys. Jongin was itching to play, but there were five more laps around the field waiting for him, and by the time he was done, he would probably be too tired to even stand, let alone play.   
  
Twenty laps around the field was no small feat, especially when only ten was required during their regular practices.   
  
“This is ridiculous, Kim Jongin!” His coach’s voice was suddenly too loud in his ears, startling Jongin and making him trip a little over his own feet, but Jongin caught himself just in time and kept his momentum going. He shot a glance to his right, and realised that his coach was running along with him. “I don’t remember you being this sluggish. Are you really the star player of the team? You make me sick.”   
  
“Sorry, coach,” Jongin bit on his lip, and jogged even harder just to meet his coach’s expectations, but he couldn’t stop the bitterness from washing over him.   
  
There it was again, that much-hated title. Once upon a time, Jongin would’ve basked in all the glory that is the title, and the attention that came with it. The praises and admiration had always spurred him on, giving him the motivation he needed to win the matches for his team, for himself.   
  
But not anymore. The more people labelled him as the  _ace_  of the team, the more Jongin wanted to run away from it all. He wanted to make them stop, and there was the occasional whim of wanting to play lousily on purpose, just to make them see that  _Jongin was not perfect_. He no longer wanted to be in the limelight, and he wondered just what had made him change his mind all of a sudden.   
  
Too preoccupied with his thoughts, Jongin didn’t even pay attention to the happenings on the field, until a too-loud “Jongin, watch out!” flooded his senses. Even then, it was too late for Jongin to process what was going on, and before he knew it, he was already lying on the ground, feeling as though the side of his head had been bashed in by something hard.   
  
His vision was swimming as he looked around and found a soccer ball lying nearby, and his aching head had somehow deduced that  _oh_ , he must’ve been knocked over by it. Luhan and Minseok’s concerned faces filled his field of vision next, both fussing over him and checking for potential injuries until Jongin waved them away groggily.   
  
His coach pushed past Luhan and Minseok and bent over Jongin after, the unconcealed disappointment heavy on his features. Jongin was suddenly overcome with the strong desire to run away from it all, if the rising nausea hadn’t kept him grounded. He couldn’t be more glad when Taemin and Yixing carried him off the field and hauled him all the way to the infirmary, away from the pitch that smelled too much of unfulfilled expectations and torment.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin yelped when someone suddenly punched him in the shoulder, jolting him out of his daze. He looked up while rubbing at the sore spot, only to find Luhan grinning down at him. “Yo.” Luhan greeted, raising a hand at him, and Jongin scooted over on the bench to allow some room for Luhan to sit.   
  
“Yo.” Jongin echoed tiredly, squeezing his eyes shut and leaning back against the wall. “Haven’t lost your sadistic edge, I see.”   
  
Luhan blinked innocently at him, but Jongin wasn’t about to be fooled. “You were spacing out. Had to drag you back to Earth somehow, don’t I? How’s your head?”   
  
Jongin chuckled. “There are other ways to do that, Luhan hyung. I’m doing fine now, I think. At least I don’t feel like throwing up anymore. So, ‘sup?”   
  
“I should be the one asking you that. You’ve been spacing out a lot recently.” Luhan looked at him meaningfully. “ _And_ , you’ve been coming to practice late. A lot. What’s going on, ace of the team?”   
  
Jongin groaned aloud at the title. Not again. “I’ve been busy with things.” He answered vaguely, hoping Luhan would let the matter slide, but it was only wishful thinking on his part.   
  
“ _Things_ , or a certain  _someone_?” Luhan asked. “My head isn’t in the clouds all the time, Jongin. Give me some credit. I know you’ve been hanging out with that sophomore Do Kyungsoo lately.”   
  
“Why are you asking me that when you already know about it?” Jongin turned to look at him, his eyebrows raised.   
  
A frowned creased Luhan’s forehead. “I’m not opposed to your choice of friends, but your reputation is taking a beating by hanging out with him. There are rumours–”  
  
There was a spark of irritation in Jongin. So that was what this was all about. Ultimately, they only care about the reputation of the team, not Jongin’s. He could hear the gossips at the back of his mind.  _The ace of the soccer team hangs out with weirdos. They must all be weird in some way too._  “I know what people have been saying about him, hyung. I don’t need you to add to that.”   
  
Luhan backed away with his hands in the air, indicating that he wasn’t going to push the subject further. Good. “I was just concerned.” He defended himself. “The coach isn’t very happy with your performance, just so you know.”   
  
That was the final straw for Jongin. He wasn’t oblivious to the way his coach would look at him in disappointment whenever he would miss a perfect scoring opportunity, even during practice, and Jongin was beginning to feel smothered by that. He enjoyed soccer, yes, but when the expectations pile up on him, he felt that it was more of an obligation than an enjoyment. Was he really supposed to feel that way?   
  
With a huff, Jongin hopped off the bench and slung his bag over his shoulder, heading straight for the door. Showering will have to wait till he got back to his dorm room. He didn’t think he could stand getting judged, even by his teammates and the person he trusted in the most any longer.   
  
“Jongin, wait–” Luhan called after him, probably to apologise, but Jongin ignored that too. He allowed his feet to carry him wherever they wanted to go, so long as he was away from everyone else.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin roamed around aimlessly on the school grounds until sunset loomed, before he finally made his way back to the bleachers. There was no other place that could grant him more peace than the soccer field, a place where he could forget all about his worries and play his heart out, even if he was playing alone. It had always been that way, but recently, Jongin wasn’t too sure about that anymore.   
  
Looking at the empty pitch right now, all Jongin could feel was an invisible pressure weighing down on his chest. All he could think about was his coach’s expectant gaze, for him to work twice as hard as the rest of his team mates; the way his team mates look up to him for every goal; the way their supporters keep chanting  _King Jongin, King Jongin_ , allowing absolutely no room for slip-ups.   
  
Where there had once been anticipation and excitement, now there was only stress and trepidation. Where there had once been joyous smiles and enjoyment, now there were only disappointed faces and angry barks for him to work even harder. Soccer used to be a means for him to relax and forget about everything else, but now Jongin only saw it as a responsibility to earn top honours for his school, nothing else.   
  
Jongin slumped against the stands and slid onto the grass, not caring if he was getting his pants stained with mud and wet grass. He was frankly tired of it all, wishing that he could turn back time to the day when he had tried out for the soccer team with a cocksure attitude. If he were given another choice, Jongin would’ve chosen to walk away from the tryouts, and opted to stay in the dance studios instead to pursue his other dream. He balled his hands up into fists, resting his head against the damp wood, just looking up at the orange skies above him.  
  
“Hello there.” Someone suddenly spoke up, and Jongin rightly shot up at the familiar voice. Had he been found? Jongin had a wry smile on his face as he pulled himself to stand, and peered over the lower tiers of the bleachers. His heart thumped against his chest when he found Kyungsoo sitting there alone, and just as Jongin was about to come out of his hiding place to join him, Kyungsoo spoke up again. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?"  
  
Only then did Jongin realise that Kyungsoo was talking to yet another spirit, so he shrank back into the shadows, chewing on his lower lip as he contemplated whether to stay, or to give Kyungsoo some privacy. His conscience said no to eavesdropping, but his curiosity got the better of him.   
  
He listened as Kyungsoo introduced himself to the ghost, and engaged in a bit of inane chat with it. It sounded a lot like a one-sided conversation to him, though Jongin perked up when Kyungsoo laughed dryly at something the ghost had asked.  
  
“Friends? I don’t really have any.” Kyungsoo said, and Jongin leaned a little closer to hear. “Yes, Chanyeol is my friend. I’ve known him since my junior high days–” There was a short pause, and then Kyungsoo was asking curiously. “The other boy? What other boy?”   
  
Another pause, then a flustered laugh. “Oh God, no. Jongin’s not my friend. He’s just–” Jongin’s heart sank at Kyungsoo’s words. Even after all this time, he still wasn’t considered as a friend to Kyungsoo. “–he’s. A freshman I happen to know of.”   
  
This time, there was hesitance in Kyungsoo’s voice, and Jongin couldn’t help himself from creeping closer to the edge of the bleachers again to peer up at Kyungsoo. The sun had already set by then, and the floodlights have come on to illuminate the field, but the darkness was enough to hide Jongin for now.   
  
Kyungsoo had his head cocked to the side, his eyes watching the empty space next to him intently, and if Jongin focused just a little more, he could see the vague outline of the spirit who was speaking to Kyungsoo. A woman, he decided, from its petite body size.   
  
“I’ve never really considered him as a friend though. He’s always around, that much is true, but–” Kyungsoo’s words were interrupted again, and he fairly paled at something the spirit had said. “I don’t like him, not that way!” Pause. “You’ve been watching us? How come I’ve never sensed your presence before this?” Another pause. “Oh. You’re good at hiding your presence– What? Why don’t I have friends?” Kyungsoo gulped. “It’s a little complicated but– oh, alright, only because it’s you.”   
  
Jongin’s heart sped up a little at this, though there was a part of him that felt rather bitter. Kyungsoo evidently trusted these spirits more than he trusted in him.   
  
“I’m gay, you see–”  _Oh_. Jongin hadn’t seen that coming. “–and I have been for a long while now. I used to have another best friend before Chanyeol came along, and he was… he was the most amazing person I had ever known back then. He’s sweet, funny, and he always does his best to make me smile.” Kyungsoo swallowed at this point, and Jongin wondered if he had imagined the way Kyungsoo’s voice had been shaking from his emotions.   
  
“I liked him a lot, and I was certain that he felt the same way too. We ended up…  _kissing_  each other one day. I don’t even remember what had led up to it, but he was the one who had initiated it. Yet, he blamed  _me_  for being the one to start everything off, and pushed me away immediately, not even allowing me the chance to explain. Something else happened and I–” Kyungsoo squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed again. “–Needless to say, I never spoke to him again. He’s not the only one. Every single friend I’ve made after him would initiate something inappropriate, then push me away as though  _I_  was the devil. Chanyeol was the only one who knew of me being gay and accepted me for it.”   
  
At this point, Jongin was already wide-eyed from the revelation, and he pressed his back against the stands again, a hand over his mouth. That explained a lot of things, though Jongin was still curious what had happened between Kyungsoo and that first friend of his. He was hiding something, Jongin was sure.   
  
“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo spoke up again then, surprising Jongin. He’d forgotten that he wasn’t alone. “Jongin  _is_  nice, I guess, but… I really don’t know if I can trust anyone else so unconditionally again.” A dry laugh. “I might say I’m already immune to such treatment, but I still don’t think I’m capable of receiving another rejection. The stakes are too high.” Pause. “Yeah, maybe I should. What? Why didn’t you tell me–”   
  
A sigh, then: “Jongin, come on out. I know you’re there.”   
  
Shit. Caught even before he could make his leave. Jongin rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he stepped out of the shadows and under the floodlights, smiling wryly at Kyungsoo. He was calmed by the fact that Kyungsoo didn’t seem particularly upset, only resigned and a bit ruffled.   
  
“I’m sorry, hyung.” Jongin said earnestly. “I really didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”   
  
Kyungsoo sighed and flashed a tight-lipped smile at him. “I take it that you’ve heard everything?” Jongin nodded. “Well, if you’re disgusted by what I am, I don’t blame you.”   
  
Jongin’s head shot up in surprise. “I could never, hyung!” He cried foul. “I mean, I’m not one to judge another person’s sexual orientation, not when I kind of swing the same way too.”   
  
This time, it was Kyungsoo’s turn to go wide-eyed. “Oh.” He breathed, and blinked in confusion for a moment. “I didn’t think–”   
  
“Well now you know.” Jongin sent him a lopsided grin. A mess, they both were. “I can… go if you don’t want me hanging around–” He then said, turning around and pointing vaguely in the direction of their dorm buildings, and was about to leave when Kyungsoo called after him. Jongin quirked an eyebrow at Kyungsoo.   
  
“You can– you can stay if you want to. Come sit with me.”   
  
Jongin didn’t need to be told further. He gleefully climbed over the lower benches towards where Kyungsoo was sitting, and dropped his backpack on the empty space next to him, resting his elbows on the benches a level higher behind them. Kyungsoo merely shot him an amused glance.  
  
“How’s your head doing?” He asked, and Jongin grimaced at the memory of it, wondering if the lump on his head was  _that_ visible. He could feel the ghost of the pain, even now, and he kind of craved for another ice pack.   
  
“Better, I think.” Jongin replied, rubbing absently at the lump. “Is it really that visible?”   
  
“Not really, no.” Kyungsoo said. “I was… I was watching your practice, actually. Your coach really drives you guys a little too hard, but I sincerely hope that’s not going to ruin your appetite for the game.” He admitted, and Jongin snapped around to look at him. He remembered that one time that Kyungsoo had told him he didn’t really like to hang around on the bleachers, because there were more spirits congregated there, and he really couldn’t differentiate humans and spirits when they were wearing the same uniform, so why–?   
  
“I just wanted to thank you for coming along on my exorcism rituals, that’s all.” Kyungsoo explained, as though he could actually hear what Jongin was thinking about. “And… for standing up for me all the time, even if you’ve never really told me.”   
  
Jongin was confused for a brief moment, then he remembered about the spirit which had been here just a moment ago, and everything clicked into place. “They’re really good friends of yours, aren’t they? The spirits. They tell you a lot of things.”   
  
Kyungsoo smiled shyly. “I’m fortunate enough to be in their good books, I guess.”   
  
“I’d rather think it’s because of your kindness,” Jongin shrugged, and he could feel the weight of Kyungsoo’s eyes on him. “You go around feeding them, even inviting them into your room so that they have a sense of belonging. Not many people out there do things like that.”   
  
Kyungsoo flushed bright red at the compliment, and quickly turned away to hide his blush, though Jongin had already seen it. He opted not to tease Kyungsoo about it, though. The peaceful atmosphere between them had been hard-earned, and he loathed to be the one to ruin it with his remarks.   
  
“You know,” Kyungsoo said, glancing sideways at Jongin with a smile on his face after several long moments of silence. “I’ve always thought of you as this cool jock who didn’t give a shit about anyone else, and would act all high and mighty just because everyone loves you unconditionally.”  
  
Jongin perked up in attention and returned the glance. “It’s not really unconditional in their case–” he pointed out with an awkward grin, “–but… did I betray your expectations?”   
  
Kyungsoo turned to watch the empty soccer field ahead of them, the smile still intact. It took him several seconds of consideration, but he nodded firmly in the end. “Yeah, you did. In a good way.”   
  
Jongin’s grin grew wider, more genuine.  
  
“I’m glad.” Jongin said, and the jitteriness was back in his being when a thought crossed his mind. “Do you…” He began hesitantly, sucking in a deep breath when he had commandeered Kyungsoo’s attention. “Do you want to come for our game this Saturday? We’re playing on home grounds, and I would really like it if you could make it.”   
  
Jongin had been expecting Kyungsoo to think about it over the night, but he was pleasantly surprised when Kyungsoo nodded with a bright smile. “Sure.”   
  
This time, Jongin couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin bent over to touch his toes, hearing the crowd (girls, mostly) go wild at the sight of his ass. He was already used to this, the screaming and the blatant ogling, and he would usually jog a lap around the field just to bask in them, but not today. Today, he was very distracted, both by the upcoming match and the person he had asked to come watch him. He continued to do his stretching in earnest, because it was never pretty to get cramps in the middle of the damned match, but he kept his eyes on the bleachers, looking for someone with pale skin, wide eyes, and narrow shoulders.   
  
He had to fight back the disappointment when Kyungsoo still hadn’t appeared, even when his coach was gathering them up for a pre-match pep talk. Jongin knew his priorities, though, and kept his mind on what his coach had to say, taking note of their formation and tactics for the day. They were going on 4-4-2, with Jongin and Luhan in the striker positions as usual, and Jongin was mildly grateful that his coach didn’t decide on going for a 4-5-1 formation, because that would pile the pressure on Jongin. Their coach was playing safe after Jongin's distracted stint during practice the other day, Jongin could tell, and for once, he didn’t feel affronted by the man’s decision.   
  
Nevertheless, Kyungsoo was still missing from the bleachers when the referee called for both teams to line up on the pitch for a handshake, and Jongin was still glancing at the audience when he took his position on the field.   
  
“Jongin!” Luhan called from the other side of the pitch, and Jongin turned towards him with an eyebrow raised. “Keep your head in the game!” Jongin nodded, and he grinned at what Luhan had to say after. “Have faith, he’ll be there!”   
  
And then they were running across the pitch at the blow of the whistle, whizzing past defenders and midfielders for the ball.  _Don’t let the others ruin your liking for the game_ , Kyungsoo had told him the other day, and Jongin kept the advice close to his mind, even as his coach screamed from the benches for him to  _chase that goddamned ball and score already_. He wasn’t about to let the pressure ruin him, not again. Kyungsoo’s words were a wake-up call for him; Jongin was determined to enjoy himself as much as he could on the pitch, even during a competitive match, because good games were difficult to come by. Judging by the excitement that was coursing through his veins at the moment, this was sure as hell a  _great_  one.   
  
When Yixing managed to tackle the ball away from an opposing midfielder, Jongin quickly slipped past the defenders, all while keeping an eye on Luhan’s ever changing positions. Minseok intercepted the ball when Yixing gave a long pass, and immediately found Luhan who passed the ball over to Jongin with a well-aimed kick. Jongin smirked at the defender who was trying to mark him, and with several clever manoeuvres, he tricked the other boy and ran in the opposite direction, finding himself in the face of an open goal. Another confident smirk, a hook of his right foot, and the ball was sent sailing in the other corner of the goalpost.   
  
The crowd cheered loudly for Jongin as he was congratulated by his teammates, and when Jongin casted a sweeping glance at the bleachers, his heart leapt. There Kyungsoo was, dressed in a thick sweater, waving enthusiastically at Jongin. He made it after all.   
  
Jongin took the opportunity to do a victory lap at their supporters' area, sending a wink and a grateful bow at Kyungsoo, and then he was reeling back to his position to prepare for the next kick-off. Now that Kyungsoo was here, he was even more pumped up to win this match.   
  
He narrowed his eyes in dark glee at the defender who was poised to mark him.  _Bring it on_.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin was  _very_  drunk over their win, laughing and giggling at everything around him as he tucked his Player of the Match award under his arm and allowed his teammates to drag him along. It was oddly liberating, being able to prove himself and enjoy the process of it at the same time. At least he was off the hook for now, and his coach had no reason to breathe down his neck for today, not after he’d scored a brace in addition to assisting Luhan’s two goals to put them through to the semi-finals.   
  
Jongin sobered up and stopped in his tracks when he saw someone approaching him though, and he urged the rest of his teammates to go on without him. Wolf-whistles and catcalls, courtesy of Luhan, Yixing, and Taemin, rang out behind him, and Jongin turned around to flip a finger at them, sending them cackling away instead.   
  
“Sorry about them,” Jongin grinned as he jogged up to Kyungsoo. “They’re absolute hooligans sometimes. And very dumb.”   
  
Kyungsoo laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. You seem very happy to be around them, though.” He said, then, almost as an afterthought: “Congratulations on the win, by the way. You were great.”   
  
Jongin wasn’t sure how he should handle the sudden compliment from Kyungsoo, and scratched the side of his head with an awkward grin. “Thanks. I guess I was on form today.”   
  
“And zoning out considerably less than you had been the other day, am I right?”  
  
“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” Jongin practically groaned at the reminder, and Kyungsoo laughed at him again.   
  
“You bet I won’t.” Kyungsoo said, the mirth bright in his eyes. “I hope you enjoyed the game.”   
  
Jongin smiled and nodded in earnest. “I did.”  _Thanks to you_. “So… what are you up to after this?”   
  
Kyungsoo shrugged. “Studying for the finals, I guess. But… I kinda wanted to ask you if you’d like to come for another exorcism ritual with me. It’s tomorrow and–” He trailed off hesitantly, and Jongin cocked his head to the side. It wasn’t like Kyungsoo to be this unsure of his words around Jongin; he was already used to having Kyungsoo insist on things by now. “–I understand if you don’t want to be there. I mean, you have your celebratory party to go for and–”   
  
Oh, he was even rambling now.  _Cute._    
  
“I’ll be there.” Jongin made his decision in an instant. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he was rejoicing over it. It was the first time Kyungsoo had ever invited Jongin for his rituals, after all, and Jongin wondered if their conversation at the bleachers two days ago had a hand in changing any of this.   
  
Kyungsoo seemed as though he hadn’t been expecting the answer, though, and his eyes went wide. “Really?”   
  
“Yeah,” Jongin nodded. “I promise. I’ll meet you at the school gates as usual?”   
  
Kyungsoo smiled. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Have fun at the afterparty!”  
  
Jongin could only grin to himself as he waved Kyungsoo off. He really couldn’t believe his luck today.   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
One good thing about staying behind on the pitch while his other teammates went ahead of him was that Jongin had free reign over the showers, now that everyone else had cleared out of the locker room. He could take his own sweet time to clean himself up, and even when he stepped out of the showers fifteen minutes later, he didn’t have to suffer through the smell of too many sweaty bodies cooped up in the confined space.   
  
Jongin didn’t even notice that there was someone else in the lockers with him, until he was fully dressed and was getting ready to leave. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, and turned around to find Chanyeol staring at him. Something about his gaze gave Jongin the chills, and he subconsciously took a step backwards.   
  
“Park… Chanyeol, right? How did you get in here?” Jongin asked cautiously, because he was sure this locker was reserved for the soccer team. No one else was allowed to get in, unless they came with someone from the team.   
  
Chanyeol ignored his question. “If I were you, I would stay out of the exorcism ritual tomorrow.” He said instead, and the timbre of his voice sent more chills down Jongin’s spine. Jongin was used to seeing the cheerful Chanyeol at his store – the one who would always laugh in an obnoxiously loud voice to everything Kyungsoo said, and whose face would be split apart by a wide grin – and the person standing before Jongin right now reminded him  _nothing_  about that boy in his memories. There was an intimidating aura surrounding Chanyeol, even, and for a moment, Jongin wondered if he were possessed by an evil spirit.   
  
But Kyungsoo had taught him a trick or two at how to handle such situations – the first was to show the spirits that he wasn’t afraid of them. Jongin sucked in a deep breath and straightened himself. “Is there a particular reason why?” he challenged, holding down Chanyeol’s gaze without wavering.   
  
“You are going to regret it. Both of you.” Chanyeol shot back, his expressions dark. “Kyungsoo doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into, and neither do you. If you care about Kyungsoo, then you should let him go on his own.”   
  
Jongin was unperturbed by that. “If you’re such good friends with Kyungsoo, then why don’t  _you_  tell it to his face? Why are you beating around the bush?”   
  
Chanyeol’s expressions immediately closed off. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you off, Kim Jongin.” He narrowed his eyes at Jongin, then disappeared out the door without another word said.  
  
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jongin said to no one in particular, feeling completely baffled by his odd encounter.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
A cold shudder ran down Jongin’s arms the moment they turned around the corner into the corridor where the supposedly haunted dorm room was located at, and he rubbed at them to generate some warmth. “Something doesn’t feel right, hyung.” He said, turning to glance at Kyungsoo who was inching cautiously towards the room. A frown creased his forehead as he pulled his jacket shut around him.   
  
“You can feel that too?” Kyungsoo asked, and Jongin nodded. “Man, we’re probably up against something a little stronger than the usual ones we’ve dealt with before this.” Jongin didn’t miss the way Kyungsoo had said  _‘we’_  instead of  _‘I’_ , and somehow the thought warmed him a little. He quickly banished those thoughts away, though – this wasn’t the right time to be thinking such things.   
  
“Do you– Should we leave it for the experts instead?” Jongin gulped, and Kyungsoo shot an amused glance at him. There was a teasing light dancing about in his eyes.   
  
“Already scared, Jongin?” Kyungsoo laughed. “I said this was stronger than the usual ones you’ve seen, but I didn’t say it’s something I can’t handle. Come on.” He jerked his head in the direction of the door which separated them from the spirit that was bothering the poor student who owned the dorm room. Jongin swallowed hard, and followed right after Kyungsoo.  
  
The thing about ghosts was that they wouldn’t usually show themselves to humans, not even when the humans already know of their existence. The spirit they were up against fell into that category, and while Jongin was perfectly clear with that fact, he still couldn’t stop himself from feeling surprised when they were met with an empty room. Kyungsoo, however, got down to business with a clinical efficiency, already setting up the offerings for the spirit without expecting Jongin to help.   
  
It took a moment longer for Jongin to fight back the chills, before he helped Kyungsoo out with the rest of the items. There was a nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right though, and Jongin was sure it wasn’t because of the atmosphere. Kyungsoo was silent – a little  _too_  silent for Jongin’s liking. He would usually offer explanations of different offerings to Jongin, patiently teaching him everything else he knew about spirits and how to handle them, but not today, even when the offerings were a lot more elaborate than usual.  
  
Kyungsoo was still silent when they were done, sitting back on his heels without saying a thing to Jongin, and Jongin wondered if he’d done something wrong somewhere.   
  
"Kyungsoo hyung?" Jongin tried hesitantly. Kyungsoo was usually quick to start the ritual, so that they could leave these rooms as soon as possible – Jongin had somewhat noticed how Kyungsoo didn't seem to like lingering around another person's room for too long. Today, though, something about Kyungsoo's leisurely pace threw Jongin off.  
  
When Kyungsoo didn't seem to have heard him, Jongin frowned and leaned forward to tap him on the shoulder. The moment Jongin's hand connected with his shoulder, Kyungsoo's hand suddenly shot up and held it in place. The grip was firm, sure, and lacking in the usual hesitance that define Kyungsoo's touches for Jongin, and Jongin was surprised when Kyungsoo turned to look at him with an unreadable expression on his face.  
  
"Kyungsoo hyung? Are you... feeling okay?" Jongin chanced again, and the way Kyungsoo's eyes smouldered made Jongin feel uneasy, even though under normal circumstances Jongin would've appreciated it. Chanyeol's warning from yesterday rang clear in his mind just then, and Jongin tried hard to push those thoughts away. There was no way things could go bad... right?  
  
"Jongin," Kyungsoo finally spoke up, and began crawling seductively towards Jongin on all fours. Jongin could hear the way the syllables of his name were layered by a poorly-concealed undertone of lust, and despite himself, Jongin scooted backwards on the floor, putting the same respectful distance back between him and Kyungsoo. This wasn't something Kyungsoo would do, not to him; what was going on?  
  
As with the other times when Kyungsoo seemed to be able to read his thoughts, the sophomore smirked. "What's wrong, Jongin-ah?" He teased, all while continuously closing the distance between them. Kyungsoo was relentless. "You like me, don't you? Why are you backing away from me?"  
  
"I– I do, hyung." He admitted, and gasped when his back collided with the wall. Trapped. Jongin laughed nervously, unsure what to make of the situation. "You're usually not like this, that's all."  
  
Kyungsoo chuckled lowly, making Jongin's skin erupt in goosebumps from the way it resonated in the air. "Oh, you don't really know me that well, do you?" Kyungsoo was in Jongin's face now, and Jongin could feel the way Kyungsoo's warm breaths were fanning across his face. It was intoxicating, and Jongin yearned to lean in and catch Kyungsoo's plump lips between his teeth. He forced himself to stay focused, though.  
  
"You're not exactly the most open person around." Jongin tried to laugh it off, but he couldn't stop the way his eyes flickered back down to look at Kyungsoo's inviting lips. Judging by the way Kyungsoo followed his line of sight, he knew that, too.  
  
"I was waiting for the correct opportunity." Kyungsoo said those words with deliberate slowness, knowing Jongin was reading every single syllable off his lips, and Jongin sucked in a deep breath when Kyungsoo's hand trailed up his thigh, hissing when Kyungsoo pressed a palm against his crotch. Jongin could feel the blood pooling down south, and he wondered if Kyungsoo could feel the way his cock was twitching under his palm.  
  
Still, Jongin felt that something wasn't right. He grabbed hold of Kyungsoo's wrist and shook his head firmly. "Kyungsoo hyung, I don't think–"  
  
"Shh," Kyungsoo hushed him, and Jongin's eyes widened when he could feel the press of Kyungsoo's soft lips against his, could feel them move as he said, in a voice so low it made Jongin's spine tingle, "Don't think too much about this. Just let your reservations go, and allow your body to do the talking for once."  
  
Only then did Jongin give in, under the insistent pressure that Kyungsoo was applying to his clothed cock, closing his eyes as Kyungsoo undid the zipper of his pants and lowered himself to Jongin's crotch, thinking that this was what Kyungsoo truly wanted.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin had no idea how much time had passed since he'd fallen asleep after that very mind-blowing sex with Kyungsoo; he was only aware of the way his lips were stretched into a broad smile as he felt the warmth of the setting sun caressing his skin when he woke up. The room did not feel as cold as it had been when they had first entered it earlier, and while he felt a little guilty for having sex in someone else's room – using their supply of lube and condoms to boot – he couldn't really find himself to care right now, not when Kyungsoo was sleeping soundly next to him, his head pillowed by Jongin's arm.  
  
He carefully propped himself up on an elbow and tried to free his arm so that he could put some clothes on and to cover Kyungsoo up, but Kyungsoo stirred just then, his lashes fluttering open.  
  
The transition between Kyungsoo's half-asleep state to full awareness merely took two seconds, and by the end of it, Kyungsoo was staring wide-eyed at him, appearing extremely confused. If it were even possible, Jongin actually found that Kyungsoo was much cuter when he was bewildered.  
  
"Had a good nap?" Jongin grinned. Kyungsoo shook his head hard, though Jongin somewhat suspected that he wasn't answering his question. Rather, Kyungsoo seemed to be trying to clear the mental block in his mind.  
  
"Why are you naked?" Kyungsoo asked sharply, and quickly scrambled for his clothes when he looked down and found himself in the exact same state. "Why am  _I_  naked? What's going on?!"  
  
The grin immediately fell from Jongin's face, and he frowned at Kyungsoo. "You don't remember what happened between us?" He couldn't hide the disappointment that latched itself onto his words.  
  
" _What_  happened between us? I only remember stepping into this room and–" Kyungsoo raised his voice, the panic seeping into his being, and when he grimaced a little in pain, the realisation dawned upon him and Kyungsoo practically paled. "Did you  _drug_  me and  _take advantage_  of me after? You son of a–"  
  
"No!" Jongin said sharply, affronted that Kyungsoo actually saw him in such a light. " _You_  were the one who came on to me!  _You_  were the one who sucked me off first before asking me to fuck you hard! And now you're telling me that  _you can't remember anything_?" It was simply ridiculous. Jongin may be a flirt, but he never would force himself on someone who was unwilling. He knew his boundaries and stuck to it; boundaries which, Kyungsoo had brought down the moment he sealed his lips around Jongin's throbbing cock.  
  
Kyungsoo shook his head and seemed to come to terms with what had happened. "This was a mistake. This was all a mistake," he muttered feverishly under his breath as he pulled on his clothes in panic, not caring if he looked absolutely dishevelled from the sex. "I was possessed, and you allowed me to do whatever I wanted to do?"  
  
Jongin stood up in a fit of anger. "How was  _I_  supposed to know you were possessed?! Yeah, I thought you were acting weird, but I didn't think–"  
  
"Enough." Kyungsoo stopped him as he headed towards the door, never meeting Jongin's eyes as he turned around to talk to him. "Pretend nothing ever happened, okay?" Kyungsoo told him in a voice so quiet that it actually scared Jongin. "Pretend none of this happened, and pretend we don't even know each other."  
  
The sound of the door slamming shut behind Kyungsoo was far too loud in Jongin's ears. He could feel the numbness spreading to the tips of his fingers and toes, stunned speechless by the turn of events.  
  
It was also then that Jongin realised that he liked Kyungsoo far too much for his own good, that Kyungsoo's rejection and the way Kyungsoo's eyes had flashed with hurt was more than capable of making Jongin feel as though he was being stabbed repeatedly in the chest. He slumped to the carpeted floor and sat there in a daze, knowing that whatever friendship he had forged with Kyungsoo was now gone without a trace, and he wanted to laugh at how fragile it had been.  
  
If he tried hard enough, Jongin thought he could feel the residual warmth radiating off the surface of the carpet, where his and Kyungsoo's bodies had lay tangled together barely a couple of hours ago. He pulled his legs close to himself, resting his forehead on his knees, hearing the lingering sounds of Kyungsoo's moans and the way their laboured breaths punctuated the air in his ears.  
  
The contrast between that and the true silence which enveloped him now was maddening.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
"Wow, you look like shit." The comment rang a little too loud in his ear, and Jongin wanted to laugh at the irony of it. Kyungsoo had told him the same thing once, when Baekhyun had covered the area around his eyes with too much makeup.  
  
He removed his arm from where it had been pressing against his eyes, and glanced in the direction where the sound had came from. Sehun was looking at him with impassiveness in his expressions, and Jongin turned away again.  
  
"You're going to need far better insults if you're trying to make my life even more miserable than it already is."  
  
Sehun held his arms up in surrender, before hauling Jongin up onto his bed. "Just lie there, okay? It's better than giving yourself backaches from lying on the floor." When Jongin looked at him with an eyebrow raised, Sehun positively turned red and looked away. "Not that," he supplemented himself quickly, "I'm trying to be nice to you or anything. Really."  
  
Huh, he was flustered. Jongin merely flashed him a tight-lipped smile, then continued to stare at the ceiling. He wasn't really in the mood to tease Sehun for his rare display of kindness, but at least now he knew Sehun wasn't all that cold.  
  
"So..." Sehun started again after a moment's silence. "He's still not talking to you, I take."  
  
"Nope."  
  
The corner of Sehun's lips twisted a little. "Sorry, man. I tried getting more information on him, but he's far more secretive than I thought."  
  
"Nah, I understand." Jongin breathed, blowing his bangs out of his face. "If he doesn't even allow someone who's supposedly close to him know about his life, I don't see how you're going to get anything on him."  
  
"Hey," Sehun said flatly. "I take offense. I can be pretty resourceful, you know."  
  
Jongin gave a short laugh. "Not when Do Kyungsoo is concerned."  
  
"I guess." Sehun shrugged, resigned. "He's still attending classes, though, so you still have the opportunity to catch him."  
  
"Yeah, except he now knows all the tricks I have up my sleeve and has taken to avoiding me at all costs." Jongin scoffed, his voice sounding bitter in his own ears. "This is pointless."  
  
"Not if you know who to look for." Sehun said meaningfully, and Jongin glanced up again. The realisation dawned upon him when he saw the glint in Sehun's eyes.  
  
Oh yeah, how could he have forgotten?  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Chanyeol's shop was unmanned when Jongin arrived. The overpowering scent of sandalwood was as invasive as ever in the cramped up shop, but Jongin was undeterred, even as his nose itched from being irritated by the smoke. Pressing on his nose bridge to reduce the flow of air passing through, Jongin went on tip-toes, trying to look past the counter at the back of the store in hopes that he could find Chanyeol lurking around.  
  
"Can I help you?" A deep, creepy voice suddenly spoke up behind Jongin, sending him slamming his knee painfully into the fibreglass casing which held prayer beads and other more expensive items. Jongin yelped and reeled around clutching his knee, only to find Chanyeol staring down at him, his expressions showing his displeasure.  
  
"Uh." Jongin blurted intelligently, still grimacing at the slow throb in his knee, and forcefully straightened himself. "I'm here to talk to you, actually."  
  
Chanyeol didn't seem to be surprised, though, only pressing his lips into a thin line and walking to the back of the store. "Come with me."  
  
Jongin hesitated for a moment, then followed after Chanyeol.  
  
The back of the store was surprisingly well-furnished for a dingy establishment as this, with a coffee table and two armchairs located opposite each other. Chanyeol took one, and Jongin made himself comfortable in the other.  
  
"So." Chanyeol started, leaning forward in his seat. His gaze on Jongin was disconcerting. "You're here because of Kyungsoo, aren't you."  
  
It wasn't a question.  
  
Jongin squirmed a little in his seat. "Well yeah." He said frankly. "He hasn't been talking to me for a while, and I figured you might know."  
  
"If I were him, I wouldn't either." Chanyeol laughed derisively, his expressions turning dark. "Not when you violated him like that."  
  
"Hold the fuck up." Jongin tensed up in his seat, nails digging into his palms. "I don't know what I can do to convince you, but I  _didn't_  force myself on him. I didn't even know he was possessed until he came to."  
  
"And whose fault is that?" Chanyeol pressed on. "I did tell you to stay out of the ritual, didn't I?"  
  
The way Chanyeol was speaking to him irked Jongin a great deal, and it was taking all his efforts to not rush forward grab Chanyeol by the collar. "You knew what was lurking in that room, didn't you?" He asked instead.  
  
Chanyeol smiled. "A horny spirit who greatly yearned to get laid."  
  
"Then why didn't you tell Kyungsoo hyung. Why did you have to come to me?"  
  
The sophomore shrugged. "I saw it as an opportunity to teach you a lesson. The ace soccer kid who never knew the meaning of rejection. How does it feel to be ignored by someone you like a great deal?"  
  
That was the last straw for Jongin. He leapt out of his seat snarling, and slammed an arm against Chanyeol's throat, keeping him pinned against the chair. "What sort of friend are you to let your best friend walk into something like that without a word of warning?" Jongin hissed, his anger no longer able to be contained. He was pissed off by the thought that Chanyeol could stand aside and watch Kyungsoo walk himself into something like that, especially when he knew bodily sacrifices were required in the process. Jongin would've stayed out of it if Chanyeol had told him, he really would have, even if it were at the risk of disappointing Kyungsoo.  
  
Right now, he would rather have done that than have Kyungsoo hate him for the rest of his life.  
  
Despite all the weirdness Sehun had painted Chanyeol in, he was surprisingly level-headed, even though he was at a risk of having Jongin break his nose. "Have you ever had someone do something like this to you–" he started, and a gasp was startled out of Jongin when Chanyeol suddenly began palming him through his pants. He didn't want to react to it, but his body was being a fucking fantastic traitor right now, and he was sure Chanyeol could feel the way his cock was twitching in his pants.  
  
"Chanyeol sunbae, what–" Jongin started, before a moan was wrenched out of him when Chanyeol pressed harder against his rapidly hardening cock. In a moment of unwanted pleasure, Jongin's hold on Chanyeol loosened, and Chanyeol took the opportunity to shove him back into the other armchair. Jongin hissed when Chanyeol pressed a knee against his erection, trying to fight against the waves of pleasure that came with it, though Chanyeol kept him pinned down, allowing no room for Jongin to do anything but writhe in his seat. Chanyeol mouthed insistently at Jongin's neck, his hand moving down to unzip Jongin's pants.  
  
In a moment of desperation, Jongin grabbed hold of Chanyeol's wrist, effectively stopping the boy from trying anything else. " _Stop_ , please." Jongin pleaded. He had no idea if he was crying, but his voice sounded a whole lot tearful to himself. Was this how Kyungsoo had felt when he had woken up and found himself naked?  
  
"Kyungsoo has had to deal with this." Chanyeol said then, and the sudden comment made Jongin freeze.  
  
His gaze snapped up, searching for any signs that Chanyeol might be lying. He couldn't find any. "What?"  
  
"This. The sexual advancements." Chanyeol's voice was low now, and he released Jongin before settling back in his own armchair as though nothing had just happened. "His ex-best friend did the same thing to him back in junior high, when he found out Kyungsoo is gay. He liked Kyungsoo; everyone could see that. But he refused to admit he was homosexual. So he had sex with Kyungsoo and spread lies about Kyungsoo being the one who had forced himself on him."  
  
Jongin gritted his teeth, feeling the last of the lust running through his veins fade away. "But that's–"  
  
"Disgusting, yes, but it took Kyungsoo several more douchebags to realise that he should stop falling for people who try hard to gain his attention." Chanyeol looked at him meaningfully, and Jongin immediately caught on to the lingering words he'd left unsaid.  
  
"Like me. That was why he tried to push me away."  
  
Chanyeol nodded solemnly. "Yeah, except old habits die hard." His gaze was still fixed on Jongin, as if measuring his every movement, every expression.  
  
Jongin blinked at him. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Kyungsoo likes you, dimwit." Chanyeol rolled his eyes. "He likes you and trusted in you to let you get close to him, but what you did the other day ruined that trust." He got up and walked towards Jongin. Chanyeol's height felt imposing with him hovering over Jongin like this, even though Jongin was actually close to Chanyeol's height.  
  
Jongin quickly averted his gaze to hide his misery, though his words that came out next completely betrayed his efforts. "What am I supposed to do? He doesn't even want to see me, let alone talk."  
  
"You know, sometimes I really wonder if you remember that I'm Kyungsoo's best friend." Chanyeol rightly frowned at him, before grinning when Jongin met his eyes.  
  
  


\--

  
  
  
Jongin ran a thousand possible lines he could say to Kyungsoo through his mind as he headed towards the library, all while pushing down the nervousness he felt within. Chanyeol had revealed Kyungsoo's latest hiding spot to Jongin – Kyungsoo had taken to camping out the library, it seemed, and Jongin suddenly felt stupid. It was no wonder he couldn't find Kyungsoo after school hours. Jongin wasn't much of a fan of libraries after all.  
  
He was momentarily distracted from his plans, however, when he heard a loud commotion coming down the hallway to his right. He paused in his steps, chewed on his bottom lip as he deliberated whether to check things out, then backtracked to the mouth of the hallway.  
  
At first, Jongin couldn't really see what was going on, apart from noticing several students – boys and girls alike – surrounding another student. He thought it was nothing more than the usual bullying, and was about to turn to leave when something one of the students said made him freeze.  
  
"Admit to the whole school you're a fag, Do Kyungsoo. You're targeting Jongin-nim this time, aren't you? Trying to propel yourself into instant fame?"  
  
Jongin immediately saw red, and stormed towards the small crowd, shoving the tallest boy away and grabbed hold of Kyungsoo's arm.  
  
"Are you okay?" Jongin asked Kyungsoo in a concerned manner just as one of the girls let out a mock gasp and squealed, "Jongin-nim, you should really get away from him!"  
  
Even with Kyungsoo's shocked expressions and a firm shake of his head, telling Jongin that he was fine, that Jongin should stay out of this, Jongin still whipped around with a murderous glare which sent the group of bullies stepping backwards.  
  
"I  _dare_  you to say that again," he hissed through clenched teeth, and the boy who Jongin had shoved seemed to have something to say, then decidedly wisely against it.  
  
"Jongin-nim, are you really trying to help him? He's a–"  
  
"I already know that!" Jongin spat angrily, feeling Kyungsoo's hand curl around his wrist in warning. Funny, how Jongin could understand the subtle warning that came with it, just as Kyungsoo had probably sensed what Jongin was about to do. "What gives you the right to judge him for his sexual orientation?"  
  
The girl paled and took another step backwards. Jongin recognised her to be one of his hardcore fans; in fact, the rest of her group were his admirers too, and Jongin wanted to laugh.  
  
"Our society doesn't accept gays like him." Another shorter boy with stubby features spoke up with a false bravado, and shrank back when Jongin's sharp gaze cut towards him.  
  
"Jongin, don't." Kyungsoo said quietly, his voice pleading. "You don't have to do this."  
  
But Jongin had enough of pretending that he was someone else. He thought about the way his other gay friends had to hide their relationships from the public eye, and realised that he didn't want to live in such a manner. If he had to lose all his reputation and get discriminated against by the entire student population, he would willingly do it for Kyungsoo's sake, even if he wouldn't get anything in return.  
  
Jongin sucked in a deep breath, and made sure they were paying attention to him. "I'm gay, too. What are you going to do about that?" He said levelly, meeting all their gazes.   
  
There was a collective intake of breaths before him, while Kyungsoo laced their fingers together behind Jongin's back, squeezing his hand in encouragement and gratitude.  
  
"There's no way–" The girl who'd outrightly insulted Kyungsoo earlier was deathly pale now, and Jongin suddenly recalled her flirting with him once, even shamelessly inviting him to her dorm room after one of the soccer team's celebratory parties. Jongin had rejected her back then, and her features right now was an exact reminder of her expressions in the past. He couldn't say he was sorry for her.  
  
"There is." Jongin said coldly. "It's up to you if you refuse to believe in me, but it's the truth. I  _like_  him–" Kyungsoo inhaled sharply at that. "–and I can't be fucked if you want to spread that to the rest of the student population. Now don't ever step into my line of sight ever again. I can't promise I'll stay nice to you."  
  
With that, Jongin wrapped his fingers around Kyungsoo's wrist and pulled him away from the bewildered group, feeling a lot more liberated than before.  
  
It wasn't until they were far away from the crowd that Kyungsoo wrested himself out of Jongin's grip, the both of them coming to a standstill in the middle of another deserted hall. Jongin turned around to regard Kyungsoo, and found the lines of his body guarded.  
  
"Kyungsoo, I–" Jongin started.  
  
"That wasn't at all necessary." Kyungsoo said at the same time, effectively cutting Jongin off. He was still avoiding Jongin's gaze, and Jongin felt a little hurt by it. "I could've gotten out of it myself."  
  
"Don't be stupid, Kyungsoo." Jongin snapped. The frustration was beginning to claw at him; all he wanted was to show Kyungsoo that he cared for him – genuinely – but Kyungsoo kept pushing him away, even now, even after what Jongin had just done. "You were just going to accept everything they say and walk away with your head bowed low, and you _know_  I'm right."   
  
Kyungsoo appeared affronted and opened his mouth to protest, but closed it soon after when he couldn’t find the words to refute Jongin. He turned away from Jongin, face flushed. “I don’t even know why we’re having this discussion,” he said at last, and made to leave.  
  
Jongin swallowed hard, but did not start after him. What was the point of holding him back when Kyungsoo had made it clear that he wasn’t interested? But still, Jongin couldn’t help the words that spilled out of his lips moments later. “I meant what I said earlier, you know. About liking you.”  
  
He’d said it so quietly – it was meant for himself to hear – that he was almost certain Kyungsoo couldn’t hear it, but he was surprised when Kyungsoo paused in his steps and turned around to look at Jongin curiously, studying his face for any possible signs of him lying. Kyungsoo probably wasn’t put off by what he saw, though, and took one step closer to Jongin.  
  
“Why me?” He asked cautiously. “I’m no one special, and I’m not even good-looking enough, not like you.” Jongin glanced up at that, meeting Kyungsoo’s perplexed expressions.  
  
“I don’t care about all those, Kyungsoo hyung.” Jongin said sincerely, holding Kyungsoo’s gaze to express himself fully and convince Kyungsoo that this was the true Jongin, the Jongin whom Kyungsoo had unveiled without Kyungsoo even knowing. “I never cared about such things from the moment I got to know you. You’re the one who taught me how to be myself without caring what everyone else thought about me.”   
  
Kyungsoo took another step forward. “I… did?”   
  
Jongin nodded, and his answer came out rather breathlessly. “Yeah. Yeah, you did. But I’m not hoping that I’ll get something from you in return. I just wanted you to know, that’s all.”   
  
“You’re being incredibly unfair right now, Jongin. You know that, don’t you?” Kyungsoo asked quietly. Jongin could only hang his head and suck in a deep breath at Kyungsoo’s words.  
  
“I’m sorry if I burdened you with that, okay? You can pretend none of this ever happened. I–” He swallowed against the emotions threatening to choke him up. “I’ll just leave you alone now. See you, I guess.”   
  
Jongin squeezed his eyes shut and walked right past Kyungsoo, willing himself not to look at the shorter boy in hopes that he would hurt a little less. He could get over this rejection; he really could. All Jongin needed was time – time to forget his feelings for Kyungsoo which had somehow become too deeply entrenched within him.  
  
Again, Jongin was surprised when Kyungsoo’s hand shot out and held onto his forearm, thereby stopping him from leaving. “Jongin, wait.”   
  
Jongin turned around and glanced at Kyungsoo questioningly. There was a small spark of hope within him, hope that slowly built up in intensity when Kyungsoo flashed a smile at him.  
  
“Convince me.” Kyungsoo said, then repeated himself in a louder, surer voice. “Convince me that you meant what you said. Convince me that I won’t regret giving you a chance.”   
  
Jongin was stunned for one long moment, unable to wrap his mind around the sudden turn in events, but eventually a smile did break out on his face.  
  
“You won’t regret this. I promise.”   
  
  


\--

  
  
  
“Ew, gross, get a room.” Sehun jeered when Jongin jogged right up to the bleachers and pulled Kyungsoo into his arms to celebrate his team’s win in the finals, which earned the pair plenty of catcalls and suggestive clearing of throats from Jongin’s teammates. Jongin was still grinning widely when he pulled away, the adrenaline surging through his veins and keeping him feeling high, and he ignored them all. Kyungsoo, however, pulled away with a grimace; even though Jongin had hugged Kyungsoo countless times after his soccer practices, Kyungsoo still wasn’t a fan of having Jongin’s sweat on him.   
  
“I agree with the gross part,” Kyungsoo said good-naturedly to Sehun, “but you and Zitao should be the ones getting a room instead.” He raised an eyebrow at the way Zitao was draped all over Sehun, one arm around his neck and another hanging dangerously low around Sehun’s waist. Zitao’s eyes were slightly glazed over, and from the way both their lips looked suspiciously swollen and faces flushed, it was easy for Kyungsoo to guess what they had been up to in the middle of the match.  
  
They did, after all, disappear for a bit.  
  
“Touché. I think I’ll take you up on your suggestion.” Sehun saluted Kyungsoo respectfully, before tugging on Zitao’s arm and dragging him away from the pitch in the general direction of the dorms.  
  
Jongin took this opportunity to yell at the pair, even though the crowd was still thick around them. “Don’t fuck till the whole school can hear you!” He cackled when Sehun whipped around and gave him the finger, face red, before scurrying away in record speed with Zitao in tow.   
  
Luhan, who’d seen the whole exchange, jogged right up to Jongin and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “Nice one. Someone should teach that brat a lesson more often.”  
  
“You know I’m always game for that, hyung.” Jongin draped an arm around Luhan’s shoulder, then leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Speaking of which, someone seems to be waiting for you.” He jutted his chin towards their left, where Kris was standing there in all his awkward glory, looking completely out of place on the soccer pitch with his height. It was obvious he was watching Luhan, though; Jongin had caught enough of his gazes thrown in their direction, and confirmed it when Kris’s expressions darkened at the sight of Jongin’s arm sliding down Luhan’s back to rest on his hip. “You should go.” With that, he tapped Luhan on the butt, and pushed him towards Kris. Luhan flashed him an uncharacteristically shy grin, and ran off to join Kris on the other side of the field.   
  
Kyungsoo laughed then. “You’re such a matchmaker. I didn’t know you had it in you.”   
  
Jongin shrugged and circled an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist again, pulling him closer. “I did matchmake us after all. Give me some credit.”   
  
Kyungsoo rightfully shoved at him. “Showoff.” He snorted, then his voice dropped low. “Do you remember that one time I got possessed during an exorcism?"  
  
Jongin shot a sidewards glance at Kyungsoo. “Of course. There’s no way I would forget that incident. Why?”   
  
Kyungsoo hummed thoughtfully. “I was thinking about having you remind me of the experience. You know, the one before I woke up and walked out on you.”   
  
It took Jongin a while to understand what Kyungsoo was trying to put across, and when he finally figured things out, Kyungsoo was already halfway across the field, pretending as though he hadn’t just suggested they do something intimate. He shook his head in utter amusement, thinking how they had come a long way from the days when they had been absolutely awkward with each other, and felt glad when he thought about what they had now. It hadn't been easy for Jongin to finally convince Kyungsoo to accept him after the talk they had in the hallway, but he made it in the end. It made Jongin appreciate their relationship even more, and he no longer went around flirting with everyone in sight.  
  
“Kyungsoo! Wait up!” Breaking into a jog, Jongin called out after Kyungsoo, ignoring the judgemental gazes that some of the other students were throwing at them, obviously still not comfortable with the idea that so many of the star athletes in school swung the other way, but they honestly could stuff their opinions up their asses. Jongin was as happy as he could be now, and that was all that mattered to him.   
  
Also, having sex with Kyungsoo for real for the first time seemed too good a prize for him to let up on, after winning the annual soccer cup for their high school. He thought he deserved the reward.


End file.
